A global inventory of quantitative documentary evidence related to climate since the 15th century

Abstract. Climatic variations have impacted societies since the very beginning of human history. In order to keep track climatic changes over time, humans thus often closely monitored weather and natural phenomena influencing everyday life. Resulting documentary evidence from archives enables invaluable insights into past climate beyond timescale instrumental early measurements. This information complements other proxies nature, such as tree rings in reconstructions, covers seasons (e.g., winter) regions Africa, eastern Russia, Siberia, China) that are not well covered with proxies. While a mature body research on detecting signals historical documents exists, large majority studies is confined local or regional scale lacks global perspective. Moreover, many before 1980s made transition digital age hence essentially forgotten. Here, I attempt compile first-ever systematic inventory quantitative related extending back Late Medieval Period. It combines all around world, retrieved (i.e., written) sources. Historical ranges personal diaries, chronicles, administrative clerical ship logbooks newspaper articles. They include records sorts, e.g., tithe records, rogation ceremonies, extreme events like droughts floods, phenological observations. The inventory, published an electronic Supplement, comprised detailed event chronologies, time series, proxy indices, calibrated providing indications temperature precipitation anomalies. overall focus document-based series significant potential for reconstruction. For each almost 700 extensive meta-information directions data (if available) given. To highlight science, three case presented evaluated different reanalysis products. comprehensive promotes first ever perspective lays foundation incorporating reconstruction scale, complementing (early) measurements