Mt. Tambora, Climatic Changes, and China’s Decline in the Nineteenth Century
Abstract
This article first introduces the correlation between volcanism and global climatic abnormalities (commonly referred to as global cooling), with particular reference to the Tambora eruption in 1815. Recent case studies in China concerning this volcanic effect and climate changes in the nineteenth century are brought in to substantialize and revise some general statements previously made about China. These case studies cover various regions, including the Yangzi Delta, Yunnan, the Jiaodong Peninsula, and the North China Sea area, and examine a wide range of topics such as floods, famines, economic recession, crop patterns (including those of New World crops), and Pacific herring catches. Finally, this article provides suggestions for future studies of the Tambora effects in China and proposes to bring climate into the specific temporal span of the decline of the Qing Empire.
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The disasters that struck during the cold periods in Guangdong were noticeably more severe than those that occurred during warm periods.
“The disasters that struck during the cold periods were noticeably more severe than those that occurred during warm periods.67”
From Climate change and Chinese history: a review of trends, topics, and methods (2015) · cites this paper as [67]
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Climate change and Chinese history: a review of trends, topics, and methods
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- Authors
- Cao, S., Li, Y., & Yang, B.
- ORCID
- Cao, Shuji
- Venue
- Journal of World History
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2012-09
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 587-607
- ISSN
- 1045-6007 (ISSN-L)
- 1527-8050
- OpenAlex
- W2083105627
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of world history (publishedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- National University of Singapore (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies
- Keywords
- Tambora eruption, volcanic eruptions, global cooling, climate change, Qing dynasty decline, 19th-century China, floods, famine, economic recession, cropping pattern, New World crops, Pacific herring, Yangzi Delta, Yunnan, Jiaodong Peninsula, North China Sea
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