한국의 소빙기 기후 : 역사 기후학적 접근의 일시론 An Approach to Historical Climatology = The Little Ice Age in Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper attempts to identify the Little Ice Age in Korea, and to relate it briefly to the social features of that period. This study is based on climatic conditions as noted in historical records such as Munho˘nbigo(文獻備考), Chos˘on Wangjo Sillok(朝鮮王朝實錄), and old weather records of Seoul from 1770 to 1910. Various climatic descriptions appeared in historical records such as amount of rainfall, snow, wind, fog, and frost were analyzed to make climatic tables showing prominent droughts, floods, and famines during the Yi Dynasty (1392∼1910).
After the climatic optimum during the Middle Ages, a period of comparatively cool and rainy weather from the 16th through the 19th century followed, which is now designated the Little Ice Age. World wide Little Ice Ages have been reported in Europe, and in China and Japan in Asia through reconstruction of old weather patterns by consulting historical records.
Historical records in Korea show little direct evidence of Little Ice Age features such as cool summers and cold winters. However, indirect evidences for a Little Ice Age are abundant in the historical records mentioned above. Indirect evidence for cool weather, such as frequency and amount of rainfall, fog, frost, wind, hail, and snow were analyzed and used to make a cool index for the Little Ice Age. Also an aridity and humidity index was calculated through climatic features such as dry(旱), great dry(大旱), rain(雨), heavy rain(豪雨), great rain(大雨), great water(大水). Trends of annual aridity and the humidity index of the Yi Dynasty matches well with that of annual rainfall records of Seoul from 1770 to 1910.
On the basis of both the cool index, and aridity and humidity index, it is possible to identify the Little Ice Age as having occurred from the 16th through the 19th century in Korea. Also the Little Ice Age in Korea may be divided into three minor periods as the following chart shows:
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Among the three periods, the highest cool index period is the first one, 1551∼1650. This period is roughly coincided with that of Little Ice Age in Europe, and in Japan in Asia with minor differences in time. During the cool weather period there appeared frequent droughts, floods, and cool hazards in Korea. Serious femines followed the first period with a brief time lag, the worst famines were colsely related with a brief time lag, the worst famines appeared during the period of 1651∼1750.
The frequent and serious famines were closely related to the period of social unrest including civil disturbances. It is also noted that three minor periods of Little Ice Age coincide with the three distinctive population decreases during the Yi Dynasty.