Speaker
Description
The complex of Santa Maria degli Angeli, located in the historic center of Florence, Italy, represents one of the main stations of the observational network promoted by the Medici family in the second half of the seventeenth century (1654-1670).
This contribution builds on a previous research phase aimed at identifying - within the cloister - the plausible location where the two thermometers were positioned in opposite directions, through the combined analysis of the original manuscripts and solar path.
The study proposes an investigation based on digital modelling and the simulation of the cloister’s thermal behavior. The aim is to analyze the relationship between the temperatures historically recorded by the two thermometers and the site’s microclimatic conditions, also considering the surface temperatures of the relevant façades and their influence on the measurements.
This approach assesses whether the seventeenth-century measurements primarily reflected air temperature or were influenced by the thermal conditions of the wall surfaces. This aspect is fundamental for making historical series comparable with contemporary , ERA5 2 m air temperature hourly data provided by the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) and extracted at the coordinates of the historical observational stations for periods corresponding to the duration of each historical series.
The study contributes to a more accurate interpretation of the meteorological observations of the Medici Network, providing elements for assessing the reliability of the historical series, identifying possible methodological corrections, and using them in comparison with contemporary temperature series and in the study of long-term climatic variations.