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Clim. Past Discuss., 7, 3023-3048, 2011
www.clim-past-discuss.net/7/3023/2011/ doi:10.5194/cpd-7-3023-2011 © Author(s) 2011. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. |
Continental atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Little Ice Age inferred from grape harvest dates
1Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR8212, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, CE Saclay l'Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
2Equipe BIOFLUX, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 05, France
3Centre de Recherche en Histoire Quantitative, UMR Université de Caen – CNRS, Esplanade de la Paix, 14032 Caen cedex 5, France
4ENITA, Université de Bordeaux, UMR EGFV, ISVV, 1 Cours du Général de Gaulle, CS 40201, 33175, Gradignan-cedex, France
5Montpellier SupAgro – INRA, UMR DIAPC 1097, Equipe Génétique Vigne, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier, France
6INRA Unité Expérimentale du Domaine de Vassal, route de Sète, 34340 Marseillan Plage, France
*present address: INRA-Agroclim, Domaine St Paul – Site Agroparc 84914 Avignon, France
**present address: Lincoln University, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
Abstract. Estimates of climate conditions before the 19th century are based on proxy data reconstructions or sparse meteorological measurements. The reconstruction of the atmospheric circulation that prevailed during the European Little Ice Age (~1500–1850) has fostered many efforts. This study illustrates a methodology combining historical proxies and modern data sets to obtain detailed information on the atmospheric circulation that prevailed over the North Atlantic region during the Little Ice Age. We use reconstructions of temperature gradients over France based on grape harvest dates to infer the atmospheric circulation. We find that blocking situations were more likely in summer, inducing a continental atmospheric flow. This study advocates that the reconstructions of the past atmospheric circulation should take this regime into account.
Citation: Yiou, P., García de Cortázar-Atauri, I., Chuine, I., Daux, V., Garnier, E., Viovy, N., van Leeuwen, C., Parker, A. K., and Boursiquot, J.-M.: Continental atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Little Ice Age inferred from grape harvest dates, Clim. Past Discuss., 7, 3023-3048, doi:10.5194/cpd-7-3023-2011, 2011.