Long-term instrumental weather records are limited even in data-rich regions such as Europe and North America, and are much scarcer elsewhere. Understanding climate change requires a truly global picture built from observations worldwide. The existing gaps limit our ability to study multi-decadal climate change across much of the globe. Closing them requires a coordinated international effort to create a comprehensive inventory of records that already exist in paper format, scan them, and rescue their data. These observations provide a key starting point for understanding past climates, a reference for validating climate models, and essential input for climate reanalyses.
This session invites abstracts on the identification and rescue of historical weather observations from previously unexplored locations and periods, including former European territories and administrative regions, as well as newly independent countries in Asia and Africa. Contributions focusing on the creation of inventories of historical weather records are also particularly welcome. Submissions may address new data sources, innovative methods of data extraction, or applications of rescued data. We particularly welcome work using automated AI/ML workflows, citizen-science approaches, and best practices, as well as studies applying historical data to understand climate extremes, floods, and other risks. By incorporating evidence from historical extreme climate events, this session will further support research and action on climate adaptation.