Abstract
American Meteorological Journal, March.—Exploration of the free air, by Prof. M. W. Harrington. The author considers that the conclusions to be drawn from weather maps are nearly exhausted, and that the reason of the imperfection of meteorology is the want of knowledge of what is going on in the free air. Mountain observations give most important results, but they are still surface observations. We know what goes on at the base of a cyclone, but not what occurs at the top. Theories are deduced from cloud observations, but we lack actual knowledge of what is going on above, and the only means available at present is systematic balloon observations. Prof. Harrington thinks that such observations should be provided for by funds from private sources.—The general winds of the Atlantic Ocean, by Prof. W. M. Davis. The basis of this discussion is the “Sailing Directory of the Atlantic Ocean,” published by the Deutsche Seewarte, and especially two generalised wind charts contained in the atlas accompanying that work. The author classifies the winds as planetary (due to the earth's rotation and the influence of the sun), terrestrial (the annual migration of the wind belts north and south, and the seasonal variations of velocity and direction), including the interruptions of continents and mountain ranges.—The colours of cloudy condensation, by Prof. C. Barns. The author considers the problems connected with the condensation of water from moist air, and reviews the labours of Mr. Aitken and Mr. Bidwell with reference to the particles of an opaque steam-jet. He also gives a minute description of the apparatus employed in his own investigations.
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Scientific Serial. Nature 47, 574 (1893). https://doi.org/10.1038/047574a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/047574a0