抄録
Introduction
Typhoon landfalls and close approaches to the Japanese islands are an annual threat to life and property. While Japan has a long history of written records, the systematic collection of modern instrumental weather data did not begin until the late 1870’s and even then, only at limited locations. Examination of historical documents and early instrumental weather observations makes it possible to reconstruct a time series of typhoons affecting Japan in the second half of the 19th century.
Data Sources and Methods
1) English-language newspapers began publication in Japan in the late 1850’s but only became consistent after 1860. Multiple newspapers were searched manually and digitally for reports of typhoons.
2) The Historical Weather Database for Japan was developed by a team of historians and climatologists that examined and extracted qualitative weather observations from diaries of feudal clans, local offices, temples, shrines, farms and private individuals. These observations were compiled into a coded database. From this database, we extracted reports of typhoons and days with high winds and heavy rains indicating a possible typhoon.
3) Meteorological observations taken twice daily at 30 lighthouses between 1877-1882 were searched for days with low pressure and high winds during the typhoon season indicating possible typhoons.
4) Compilations of historical weather disasters in Japan were searched for reports of typhoons or conditions of high winds, heavy rains and flooding that might indicate a typhoon.
5) Instrumental data collected by the IMO in Tokyo, Nagasaki, and Kobe were examined for weather conditions indicating typhoons.
6) Data and descriptions of typhoons were extracted from Dechevrens’ monographs for 1880, 1881 and 1882.
7) Data were collected from logs of U.S. Navy ships around Japan in 1877-1879. We plan to collect additional ship logs for typhoons identified in other sources.
Time Series of Typhoons affecting Japan from 1860-1899
Typhoons with at least two independent reports were used to compile a preliminary time series of storms affecting Japan in the 40-year period 1860-1899. Additional data points will be added as more data is collected and analyzed.
