Abstract
In this paper a new method is introduced to assess the impact of storminess during the pre-instrumental period. The method is based on written sources. For this purpose Flemish documentary sources are taken as an example originating from a polder region between Ghent and Antwerp dating from the period 1488 to 1609. These documentary sources are continuous and homogeneous. The polders were protected by dikes, which had had to be maintained regularly. The annual upkeep was answered for in the annual dikes accounts in which nearly each storm that caused damage to the dikes was recorded. In order to assess the impact of storminess, these storms have been categorised, based on the following three principles: (a) the exact wording in the text, (b) the circumstances in which a storm appeared, (c) the consequences to which a storm has led, e.g. number of acres flooded. Accordingly eight separate categories are distinguished with storms ranging from one point to eight points. So in the first category the least important storms are given only one point. In category eight the storm surges appear, that have led to the flooding of large areas. These storms are given eight points. As the method enables us to assess the impact of storminess throughout the period, it shows only a small increase of storminess during the first quarter of the sixteenth century and a large increase in storminess during the second half of that century. Finally, looking at the storm pattern at Flushing between 1848 and 1990, there also appears to be a relative strong increase in storminess beginning around the 1950s. Whereas such a similarity in increase in storminess between these two quite different periods can hardly be coincidental, there must be some common cause. Could it be that periods of a relative strong increase of storminess precede periods of climatic change?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alexandre, P.: 1980, Les variations climatiques en Belgique et en Rhénanie d’après les sources écrites de la période 1100–1600’, in Verhulst, A. en Gottschalk, M.K.E., Transgressies en occupatiegeschiedenis in de kustgebieden van Nederland en België, Gent, pp. 243–251.
Alexandre, P.: 1987, Le climat en Europe, Paris.
Augustyn, B., Daan, H., Van Mourik, B., Messerschmidt D. and Zwart, B.: 1990, Stormkalender 1964 – 1990. Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, nr. 176.
Augustyn, B.: 1992, Zeespiegelrijzing, transgressiefasen en stormvloeden in maritiem Viaanderen tot het einde van de XVIde eeuw. Ken landschappelijke, ecologische en klimatologi sehe Studie in historischperspektief, Brussel, 2 vol.
Ball, T.F.: 1995, ‘Historical and instrumental evidence of climate: western Hudson Bay, Canada, 1714–1850’, in Bradley, R.S. and Jones, P.D., Climate since A.D. 1500, London and New York, pp. 40–74.
Bradley, R.S.: 1994, Reconstruction of Climate form A.D. 1000 to the Present’, in Brázdil, R. and Kolar, M., Contemporary Climatology, Brno, pp. 12–22.
Brandon, P.F.: 1971, Agriculture and the effects of floods and weather at Barnhorne, Sussex, during the Late Middle Ages, Sussex Archeaological Collections, vol. CIX.
Demarée, G.R.: 1990, ‘On the re-discovery of the XVDI-th century daily meteorological observations carried out at Verviers by G.L. Godart’, in Bulletin de la Société Belge d’Etudes Géographiques — SOBEG, 2, pp. 171–180.
Easton, E.: 1928, Les hivers dans l’Europe occidentale, Leiden.
Geurts, H.A.M. and Van Engelen, A.F.V.: 1983, Geschiedenis van weerkundige waarnemingen in het bijzonder in Nederland voor de oprichting van het K.N.M.I., De Bilt, nr. 165–1.
Gottschalk, M.K.E.: 1971, 1975 and 1977, Stormvlœden en rivieroverstromingen in Nederland, Assen, 3 vols.
Ingram. MI, Underfill, D.J. and Farmer, G.: 1985, The use of documentary sources for the study of past climates’, in Wigley, T.M.L., Ingram, M.J. and Fanner, G., 1985, Climate and History. Studies in past climates and their impact on Man, Cambridge UP, pp. 162–180.
De Kraker, AMI: 1997, Landschap uitBatons. De invlœdvan de natuur, de economie en de politiek op de ontwikkeling van het landschap van de Vier Ambachten en het Land van Saeßnghe tussen 1488 en 1609, Utrecht.
Lamb, H.H.: 1980, ‘Climatic fluctuations in historical times and their connection with transgressions of the sea, storm floods and other coastal changes’, in Verhulst, A. and Gottschalk, M.K.E., Transgressies en occupatiegeschiedenis in de kustgebieden van Nederlanden België, Gent, pp. 251–285.
Lamb, H.H.: 1991, Historic Storms of the North Sea, British Isles and Northwest Europe, Cambridge UP.
Malde, J. van: 1996, ‘Historical extraordinary water movements in the North Sea area’, Mededelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst, nr. 57, pp. 27–39.
Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat: 1994, Tienjarig overzicht, 1981–1990, Rijkinstituut voor Kust en Zee The Hague.
Pavese, M.P., Banzon, V., Colacino, M., Gregori, GP. and Pasqua, M.: 1995, ‘Three historical data series on floods and anomalous climatic events in Italy’, in Bradley, R.S. and Jones, P.D., Climate since A.D. 1500, London and New York, pp. 155–170.
Pfister, Chr., Kington, J., Kleinvogel, G., Schule, H. and Siffert, E., 1994, High resolution patio-temporal reconstructions of past climate from direct meteorological observations and roxy data’, in Frenzel, B., Pfister, Chr. and Gläser, B., Climatic trends and anomalies in Europe 1675–1715, Stuttgart/Jena/New York, pp. 329–377.
Strubbe, Eg.I and Voet, L.: 1960, De chronologie van de Middeleeuwen en de Moderne Tijden in de Nederlanden, Antwerp/Amsterdam.
Woudenberg, J.P.M.: 1989, Geschiedenis van de landbouwmeteorologie in Nederland tot 1972. Technical Reports nr. 116 of the “Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute’, De Bill
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
De Kraker, A.M.J. (1999). A Method to Assess the Impact of High Tides, Storms and Storm Surges as Vital Elements in Climatic History the Case of Stormy Weather and Dikes in the Northern Part of Flanders, 1488 to 1609. In: Pfister, C., Brázdil, R., Glaser, R. (eds) Climatic Variability in Sixteenth-Century Europe and Its Social Dimension. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9259-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9259-8_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5306-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9259-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive