Let us go back by a century, and imagine ourselves to be one of the crew onboard a ship sailing vast global seas. Surrounded by the blue ocean and open sky, part of your daily routine would be to jot down weather observations in a logbook – a notebook filled with careful notes about what they saw, and encountered along their journey. Serving as essential tools, Captains needed to record every detail needed to survive and navigate the often-treacherous seas.
Initially, “Logbook” referred to a book for recording readings from the chip log that was used to estimate a ship’s speed through the water. Today’s ship’s log has grown to contain many other types of information, and is a record of operational data relating to a ship or submarine, such as weather conditions, times of routine events and significant incidents, crew complement or what ports were docked at and when (Wikipedia, n.d).
Today, at Monsoon Voyages, we bring these old logbooks back to life, where we believe that these records kept by early sailors have the potential to illuminate the Earth’s climate history.
Below are some of the essential details that these sailors captured in their logs and why each one matters.
Location and Route: Mapping the Journey
The first thing every logbook noted was where the ship was at any given moment. Today, this data lets us retrace the routes of early voyages and understand how different weather patterns appeared across the globe. Knowing exactly where a ship was, and the conditions it faced, helps scientists map out past climates and see how our atmosphere has changed over time.
Air Pressure: Reading the Weather in Advance
Back then, ships were equipped with a barometer, a device that measured the weight – or “pressure” – of the air. A drop in pressure could signal a coming storm, while steady pressure meant calmer weather ahead. Sailors used these readings as an early warning system to prepare for rough seas. Today, these records let us see how air pressure has changed over hundreds of years, helping scientists understand how weather patterns and storms have evolved.
Temperature: Tracking the Ocean’s Warmth
Measuring the temperature of both the air and sea was another daily task. By tracking temperatures at different times and locations, sailors could tell if they were nearing warmer or cooler waters, which often affected both their route and their safety. Comparing them to today’s temperatures helps us see how much oceans and air have warmed.
Wind Speed and Direction
The wind was a sailor’s best friend and worst enemy. Knowing the strength and direction of the wind was crucial because wind could either speed up the journey or push the ship dangerously off course. Sailors often used a scale to describe wind strengths. By recording wind patterns, sailors gave us a window into historical wind conditions. These logs help scientists today understand how winds shifted over time, influencing ocean currents and even global weather.
Why These Old Logs Still Matter
At Monsoon Voyages, we aim to patch up gaps in our Earth’s climate, especially along Southeast Asia. We believe that they are powerful tools that can help us model and understand historical weather patterns, and we need your help to do so!
The digitization and analysis of these records have already begun to yield significant insights, such as identifying major historical events like the El Niño and La Niña phenomena. We hope this piece gives you an understanding of the various data we have collected, and we thank you for contributing towards our project!
Leave a Reply