Abstract
THE publication of a collection of meteorological observations made in 1892 may at first sight appear somewhat belated, and as giving promise of but little interest. But observations such as the greater part of those contained in this volume serve two purposes. There is first of all the immediate application of knowledge concerning the atmospheric variations whose usefulness is shown in weather prediction and similar purposes. Some may think that this is the main, if not the only, outcome of meteorological inquiry. But, apart from all ephemeral interests, the maintenance of a continuous record of the behaviour of the atmosphere is of great importance. The study of climatic oscillations throughout long periods is a study that is likely to be attended with great advantage and instruction. The long, costly and laborious series of observations, that are so carefully prosecuted at so many stations, can only be justified by their use in investigations which aim at the primary causes of atmospheric disturbance. The records of the Radcliffe Observatory hold deservedly high place in such series, both for accuracy and for length of time during which they have been uninterruptedly pursued, and for the purposes of scientific meteorology the value of the present volume is undiminished by the length of time that separates us from the earlier observations. It will take its place among many worthy companions and hand on the history of the variation of climate to those who have the skill to read it.
Results of Meteorological Observations made at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in the eight years 1892–99.
Edited by Arthur A. Rambaut, Radcliffe Observer. Vol. xlviii. Pp. xxiv + 245. (Oxford: J. Parker, 1901.)
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Results of Meteorological Observations made at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, in the eight years 1892–99. Nature 64, 599 (1901). https://doi.org/10.1038/064599a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/064599a0