Von Salis-Marschlins, 1781-1800
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THE METEOROLOGICAL DIARIES OF JOHANN RUDOLF VON SALIS-MARSCHLINS, 1781-1800 Master’s Thesis Faculty of Science University of Bern Presented by: Markus Grimmer 2019 Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Christian Rohr Institute of History, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern Co-Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Stefan Brönnimann Institute of Geography, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern Abstract The meteorological diaries of Johann Rudolf von Salis-Marschlins contain a rich collection of climatological data. Within the here studied years of 1781-1800, well over 10,000 pressure and temperature measurements, more than 4,000 observations of phenological phases, and close to 2,000 descriptions of precipitation events can be found. Despite their extraordinary wealth in data, however, the Marschlinian diaries played a minor role in historical climatology so far, which is mainly due to reported inaccuracies of the used instruments. With the construction and homogenisation of a monthly temperature and pressure series, this study was able to refute large parts of these reservations. Additionally, the precipitation observations have been quantified to obtain monthly precipitation depth totals. Furthermore, monthly snow cover duration and some selected phenological phases have been studied and their potential evaluated. Although not all systematic errors could be resolved for all series, measurements and observations generally are of high quality and, once homogenised, of high value to historical climatology. A continuation study of the entire Marschlinian record (1781-1823) is thus recommended. In addition to this analysis of the diaries’ contents, this thesis also contains a complete transcription of the first twenty years of diary entries. Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been submitted in its current form, if it was not for the help and support of many people. Although not all of them can be named here in person, I would like to express my gratitude to those who solved questions and problems, who sparked ideas, and who invested much of their time in the making of this thesis over the course of the last year. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Christian Rohr, who brought my attention to the Marschlinian diaries in the first place. Christian thus helped to set the frame for this study and continuously supported me on the long path from bachelor’s to master’s thesis in both scientific and administrative matters. I am also particularly thankful to my Co-Supervisor, Prof. Dr. Stefan Brönnimann, who advised me on many questions about early instrumental measurement series and devices. I would also like to thank the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research for the financial support of this thesis. I am especially grateful to my advisor, M.A. Lukas Heinzmann, and to M.A. Antoine Jover, who invested many hours in the adaptation of the software behind the Dietrich-Edition to the requirements of the transcription for the Marschlinian diaries. Lukas shared his experience on the use of T-PEN in multiple meetings and e-mail conversations and thus greatly eased my introduction to the program. Without his and Antoine’s big effort, the here presented transcrip- tion would look substantially different. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Gabriela Schwarz-Zanetti, who suggested the use of an indices system for a more in-depth analysis of the qualitative precipitation data. Finally, thanks go to M.A. Lucas Pfister and Dr. Yuri Brugnara of the CHIMES project for the granted insights in their findings on pre-institutional Swiss measurement series, and the support on is- sues of homogenisation. Page | 7 Table of Contents 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 11 1.1. Aims and Structure of this Thesis ..................................................................... 12 1.2. State of Research .............................................................................................. 13 1.3. State of Source Materials .................................................................................. 17 1.4. Methods ............................................................................................................ 20 1.5. Transcription ..................................................................................................... 22 2. The Diaries of Johann Rudolf von Salis-Marschlins – a General Survey ........... 24 2.1. Johann Rudolf von Salis-Marschlins ................................................................ 24 2.2. Source Criticism ............................................................................................... 29 2.2.1. Location, Extent and Condition of the Diaries ....................................... 29 2.2.2. Language, Script and Navigation within the Diaries .............................. 30 2.2.3. Dating ..................................................................................................... 30 2.2.4. Gaps and Changes of Location ............................................................... 31 2.3. Contents of the Diaries ..................................................................................... 33 2.3.1. The Core: Three Daily Measurements .................................................... 34 2.3.2. Phenological Observations ..................................................................... 36 2.3.3. From Lunar Phases to Earthquakes – Further Contents of the Diaries... 39 3. Measurements of Temperature and Air Pressure................................................. 44 3.1. Locations of Measurement ............................................................................... 44 3.2. Three Daily Measurements ............................................................................... 45 3.3. The Temperature Series .................................................................................... 47 3.3.1. First Impression and Quality Control ..................................................... 47 3.3.2. Constructing Daily Mean Values............................................................ 52 3.3.3. Homogenisation ...................................................................................... 66 3.3.4. The Marschlinian Temperature Series .................................................... 75 8 | Page 3.3.5. Improvements for Future Homogenisations ........................................... 79 3.4. The Pressure Series ........................................................................................... 82 3.4.1. First Impression and Quality Control ..................................................... 82 3.4.2. Constructing Daily Mean Values and Eliminating Systematic Errors ... 84 3.4.3. Homogenisation ...................................................................................... 93 3.4.4. The Marschlinian Pressure Series ......................................................... 100 3.4.5. Improvements for Future Homogenisations ......................................... 102 4. Phenological Observations .................................................................................... 104 4.1. Historical Phenology ...................................................................................... 104 4.2. Cherry Blossom, Vine Blossom, and Grape Harvest Dates ........................... 106 4.3. Twelve Phenological Series ............................................................................ 111 4.4. The Potential of the Marschlinian Phenological Records............................... 113 5. Precipitation............................................................................................................ 115 5.1. Rainfall Measurements and Observations ...................................................... 115 5.2. Days with Snow Cover and Snow Layer Thickness ....................................... 120 5.3. Avalanches, Floods, and Summer Snowfalls ................................................. 123 6. Conclusion and Outlook ........................................................................................ 127 7. Registers and Bibliography ................................................................................... 130 7.1. List of Figures ................................................................................................. 130 7.2. List of Tables .................................................................................................. 131 7.3. Sources ............................................................................................................ 131 7.3.1. Non-Printed Sources ............................................................................. 131 7.3.2. Printed Sources ..................................................................................... 132 7.3.3. Pictorial Sources ................................................................................... 134 7.4. Literature......................................................................................................... 135 7.5. Online Resources ............................................................................................ 143 Page | 9 A. Annex ....................................................................................................................... 145 A.1. Precipitation Frequency Distribution .............................................................. 145 A.2. Monthly Precipitation Totals .........................................................................