Meteorological extremes and their impacts in the Czech Lands since the 16th century

Name of the project: GA205/01/1067 Meteorological extremes and their impacts in the Czech Lands since the 16th century

Provider: Czech Science Foundation

Duration: 2001-2003

Applicant: Prof. RNDr. Rudolf Brázdil, DrSc. (Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Institute of Geography)

Joint applicants: RNDr. Radim Tolasz, Ph.D. (Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Praha),
PhDr. Oldřich Kotyza (Regional Museum of Litoměřice), RNDr. Josef Štekl, CSc. (Ústav fyziky atmosféry AV ČR, v.v.i)

Characteristics of the project:

Meteorological extremes with impacts on nature and society in the Czech Lands since the 16th century are studied. Extremely warm, cold, wet and dry months are investigated as well as floods, gales, late (early) frosts and hailstorms, on the one hand on t he basis of measured data, on the other hand on the basis of written weather reports. The analysis of temporal and spatial variability of meteorological extremes in the period 1961-2000 is carried out. Selected extremes are evaluated from the synoptic-climatological point of view and their typification is presented. For five-hundred-year chronologies of extremes with significant impacts changes in their frequency, intensity, seasonality and impacts are evaluated. Their relation to climatic fluctuation a nd to the present global warming is studied. A synthesis is presented of the fluctuation of meteorological extremes and their impacts in the Czech Lands since the 16th century up to the present.