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Articles | Volume 20, issue 10
Articles | Volume 20, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2287-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2287-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 10
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
11 Oct 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 11 Oct 2024

The spatio-temporal evolution of the Chongzhen drought (1627–1644) in China and its impact on famine

Siying Chen, Yun Su, Xudong Chen, and Liang Emlyn Yang

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Cited articles

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Benson, L., Petersen, K., and Stein, J.: Anasazi (pre-Columbian native-American) migrations during the middle-12th and late-13th centuries – were they drought induced?, Climatic Change, 83, 187–213, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9065-y, 2007. 
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Buckley, B. M., Anchukaitis, K. J., Penny, D., Fletcher, R., Cook, E. R., Sano, M., Nam, L. C., Wichienkeeo, A., Minh, T. T., and Hong, T. M.: Climate as a contributing factor in the demise of Angkor, Cambodia, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 6748–6752, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910827107, 2010. 
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Editorial statement
This paper is an excellent example of how sophisticated climate reconstructions can be made on the basis of historical documentary data. The authors have not only succeeded in analysing the rich historical descriptions in a very valuable way, they have also applied various statistical approaches very skillfully in a remarkably interdisciplinary approach. The article stands out for its deep understanding of historical sources, drought processes, and various social processes.
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Short summary
This study used 1802 drought and 1977 famine records from historical documents to reconstruct the spatial–temporal progression of the Chongzhen drought (1627–1644) in China and its impacts. We advance this research by reconstructing the annual spatial patterns and regional series of drought; demonstrating drought as the primary factor triggering famine; and identifying the transmission pathway of the drought's impacts and how social factors, especially human responses, regulated these impacts.

 
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