New perspectives on historical climatology

Historical climatology is an interdisciplinary field of research encompassing the reconstruction of past climate and weather from written sources and artifacts, as well the application of climate reconstructions to the study of human history. Historical climatology has grown in recent years, and this growth has brought both insights and challenges. Research has expanded into new regions and periods and diversified into novel sources, methods, and interdisciplinary collaborations. At the same time, the heterogeneity of evidence and approaches has complicated the integration of multiple climate and weather reconstructions. Moreover, the diversity of disciplinary perspectives, terminologies, and perspectives can create miscommunication among scholars in the field, particularly on issues of historical knowledge and causation. Innovative approaches in the field, including Bayesian methods, may help address these challenges.This article is categorized under:Climate, History, Society, Culture > Disciplinary PerspectivesClimate, History, Society, Culture > World Historical PerspectivesAssessing Impacts of Climate Change > Representing UncertaintyThe Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Knowledge and Practice