Why century-old ship logs are key to today’s climate research

Through both sunny days and torrential storms, sailors cutting through the waters around New Zealand and Antarctica faithfully recorded the weather they encountered, building up a treasure trove of data. Over a century later, scientists are digging through these maritime records for insights about the past and future of the region’s climate — and they need the public’s help.
Knowing what the weather was up to in the past can help scientists calibrate climate models like the on