Researchers in the UK are busy digitizing more than 300 Royal Navy captains’ logs for clues about climate change. Some of the logs date back to 1760s, and include recordings of the voyages of Captain Cook and Darwin on the HMS Beagle. They are being transcribed for their detailed recordings of weather in order to enhance climate models. In addition to daily our hourly weather notes on wind speed, direction, temperature and pressure, the logs include details of where the ships encountered sea ice.
The research is led by the University of Sunderland in order to create more detailed climate models of the industrial era. The digitized logs will be posted to the National Archives early next year. You can read more about the project, dubbed CORRAL for UK Colonial Registers and Royal Navy Logbooks here.
