Climatic variations of the past: the key to understand the present? Exemple referring to Portugal (1675-1715)

Abstract

This article is about the importance of studying past climates that result only from natural causes, while, in more recent periods, the changes induced by human activities may heighten or conceal natural changes. A brief representation is made of a project on European historical climatology of the Late Maunder Minimum (1675-1715). This was a particularly cold period during the Little Ice Age. Although no distinct trends emerge, it is understood that the winter and spring months were especially cold, including in Portugal as well. The inter-annual precipitation irregularity is similar to that in the present time. Months of severe drought as well as years of heavy rain were detected. We will look in to the natural causes that may have contributed towards the climatic changes observed in the past.