Florentine daily meteorological observations in second half of eighteenth

century (1751-1774)

Vergari Daniele Ass.Giovan Battista Landeschi

Casati Stefano Museo Galileo

Crisci Alfonso Institute for Biometeorology

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON URBAN

CLIMATE AND HISTORY OF METEOROLOGY

25 - 26 February 2013 – FlorencePalazzo Medici Riccardi

Florentine backgrounds

Accademia del Cimento Academy of Experiment

“Provando e riprovando” the AC motto: Try and try again

•Experimentation method and practices•Creation of laboratory instruments •Standards of measurement

Accademia del Cimento : Galieian Milestones

A n effective Medicean

scientific “Start-up”

favorited by the singular

excellence of florentine handcraft.Ferdinand II

Cardinal Leopold

Medici Network (1654–1670)

The XVIII networks:“republic of letters”

https://republicofletters.stanford.edu/

Interesting Big Data approach to map the early scientific social networks trough corrispondences

humanities, communication design, and computer science joined forces

Francesco Algarotti tour: The XVIII star in scientific communication

…..a effective circulationof information trough correspondence and travellers:

Data

Instruments

Experiences

..a graph of connected scientists.

Observers in Tuscany during XVIII centuryButori

1777-1826

G.S. Conti 1744-1791

Accademia Fisiocritics 1755-1765

Tilli 1775-1780

Santi 1780-1790

Pizzetti 1771-1787

Albergotti(XVIII cen.)

Various from 1728

Matani 1756-1757

Vitoni 1784-1811

Taglini 1721-1736

Pietro Leopold

Lorena: “need to know to decide anything” –”conoscere per deliberare”

Observers network in Florence during XVIII century

Cipriano Targioni 1728-1748

Obs. linked to Georgofili

Institution

Observer

Georgofili

R. Museo Fisica

Hospital S. Maria Nuova

Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti 1737-1740

Location unknown

Grifoni 1751-1766

Martini 1756-1775

Ximenian Obs.

Tartini 1785-1788

Bicchierai 1775-1796

Hosp. S. M. Nuova 1776-1778

G. Raddi - 1797-1807D. De’Vecchi 1809-1810

Obs. Are Physician

Botanical Garden

Ottaviano Targioni Tozzetti ca. 1800 - 1829

Ximenes 1751-1753

XVII climate variability: strong fluctuations & no trend

Takata K et al. PNAS 2009;106:9586-9589

Climate variations mainly linked to strong vulcanic events and solar minimum

http://berkeleyearth.org/

1700 the pre-industrial climate

How Hot or how Cold: that was the question?

scaling

TEMPERATURE

First half XVII science advances…

Celsius 1701 -1744

Fahrenheit 1686–1736

Reaumur 1683 1757

Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti is a hub

The Alimurgia Alimurgia as the:

Famines risk mitigation

to sustain vulnerable

peopleBasic requirements for a good alimurgia for GTT are essentially multidisciplinary:.

MedicineFitopathologyEpidemiology

Climatology and Meteorology

The health risk is the point…

preludes of biometeorology

Today in florence

“Spedale di Santa Maria Nuova”

L. Martini series by G. Targioni Tozzetti in Alimurgia

Florence daily T (°R) & weather events 1765-1774

Via dei Ginori Florence

P. Grifoni‘s series by Carlo Alfonso Guadagni

Florence daily T (°R) & weather events 1751-1767

P. Grifoni‘s series Florence monthly averages T (°R) 1751-1767

Excessive cold XVIII eventsExcessive warm XVIII eventsReference: http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/climate/1750_1799.htm

P.Grifoni‘s series Data homogeneity testing T 1751-1767

Data Homogeneity is generally good: no breakpoints detected in structural components ( linear+periodic)

R bfast library : OLS –MOSUM technique http://bfast.r-forge.r-project.org/

XVIII century was a fruitful period ; the Cimento’s milestones are fully assimilated thanks to the activities of scientist network’s

State-of-art meteorological observations in XVIII were carried regularly within a well designed aims where people healthcare is the main driver.

Early florentine “meterologist” benefit of theopen and multidisciplinary approach of XVIII century where data and metodologies was shared and considered as real common goody.

The spirit of XVIII was favourable for the applied meteorology and Florence could be considered the nursery of disciplines as agrometeorology and biometeorology also thanks to the work made by XVIII scientists.

Conclusions