Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources
IntroductionUnderstanding past climate variability is essential for interpreting current and future climate trends, particularly during defining climate periods for the past two millennia, such as the Little Ice Age, which had significant socio-economic impacts.MethodsThe present study uses an inter...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1507143/full |
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| author | Ovidiu Răzvan Gaceu Tudor Caciora Ștefan Baias Cezar Morar Mihai Dudaș Marius Stupariu Maria Maxim |
| author_facet | Ovidiu Răzvan Gaceu Tudor Caciora Ștefan Baias Cezar Morar Mihai Dudaș Marius Stupariu Maria Maxim |
| author_sort | Ovidiu Răzvan Gaceu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionUnderstanding past climate variability is essential for interpreting current and future climate trends, particularly during defining climate periods for the past two millennia, such as the Little Ice Age, which had significant socio-economic impacts.MethodsThe present study uses an interdisciplinary approach, analyzing written documents such as chronicles, diaries, and official records to extract data related to climate events in the 16th century in Transylvania (on the current territory of Romania). The obtained results were processed using statistical techniques to reconstruct the evolution of the weather during the respective period.Results and discussionThe study identifies multiple pieces of evidence associated with extreme weather events, including 40 unusually warm summers and several years of excess precipitation or drought. In particular, the period 1,527–1544 was marked by intense heat and droughts, severely affecting agriculture and causing famine. In contrast, the second half of the century is defined by increased rainfall, with numerous reports of flooding and excessive rain, particularly in the 1590s. These extreme climatic events profoundly affected society, contributing to food shortages and increased mortality from starvation and diseases (especially the plague). At the same time, compared to the territory of Western Europe, in Transylvania, heat waves and droughts were more frequent in the first half of the 16th century, while in Western Europe, these climatic phenomena were more sporadic and less intense. Finally, the manuscript emphasizes the significant role of the climate in shaping the historical and socio-economic landscape of Transylvania in the 16th century, offering perspectives on the complex interactions between the climate and the human component. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e24428e9f1da4b959c7c1b711953cf48 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9553 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Climate |
| spelling | doaj-art-e24428e9f1da4b959c7c1b711953cf482025-02-12T07:25:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Climate2624-95532025-02-01610.3389/fclim.2024.15071431507143Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sourcesOvidiu Răzvan Gaceu0Tudor Caciora1Ștefan Baias2Cezar Morar3Mihai Dudaș4Marius Stupariu5Maria Maxim6Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaJimbolia Technology Highschool, Jimbolia, RomaniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaDepartment of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, University of Oradea, Oradea, RomaniaIntroductionUnderstanding past climate variability is essential for interpreting current and future climate trends, particularly during defining climate periods for the past two millennia, such as the Little Ice Age, which had significant socio-economic impacts.MethodsThe present study uses an interdisciplinary approach, analyzing written documents such as chronicles, diaries, and official records to extract data related to climate events in the 16th century in Transylvania (on the current territory of Romania). The obtained results were processed using statistical techniques to reconstruct the evolution of the weather during the respective period.Results and discussionThe study identifies multiple pieces of evidence associated with extreme weather events, including 40 unusually warm summers and several years of excess precipitation or drought. In particular, the period 1,527–1544 was marked by intense heat and droughts, severely affecting agriculture and causing famine. In contrast, the second half of the century is defined by increased rainfall, with numerous reports of flooding and excessive rain, particularly in the 1590s. These extreme climatic events profoundly affected society, contributing to food shortages and increased mortality from starvation and diseases (especially the plague). At the same time, compared to the territory of Western Europe, in Transylvania, heat waves and droughts were more frequent in the first half of the 16th century, while in Western Europe, these climatic phenomena were more sporadic and less intense. Finally, the manuscript emphasizes the significant role of the climate in shaping the historical and socio-economic landscape of Transylvania in the 16th century, offering perspectives on the complex interactions between the climate and the human component.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1507143/fullhistorical climatology16th centuryextreme climatic eventsTransylvaniahistorical sourcesclimatic variability |
| spellingShingle | Ovidiu Răzvan Gaceu Tudor Caciora Ștefan Baias Cezar Morar Mihai Dudaș Marius Stupariu Maria Maxim Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources Frontiers in Climate historical climatology 16th century extreme climatic events Transylvania historical sources climatic variability |
| title | Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| title_full | Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| title_fullStr | Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| title_short | Reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in Transylvania: interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| title_sort | reconstruction of climatic events from the 16th century in transylvania interdisciplinary analysis based on historical sources |
| topic | historical climatology 16th century extreme climatic events Transylvania historical sources climatic variability |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2024.1507143/full |
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