Abstract
FROM the “Jahrbucher“ of the Austrian Meteorological Office for 1904 it appears that changes have recently been made in the comprehensive operations of that important institution. A considerable addition to its labours has been incurred by the transfer to it of the observations of earthquake phenomena originated by the Vienna Academy of Sciences; this organisation embraces a large number of stations. Owing to this transfer the office has adopted the title of Central-Anstalt für Meteorologic und Geodynamik. A considerable increase has been made in the number of weather forecasts sent gratuitously to provincial postoffices; in these telegrams an attempt is made to forecast the weather for two days in advance. On the other hand, it has been found necessary greatly to restrict the amount of data published from stations of the second and third order; this materially lessens the bulk of the year-book. The investigation of the upper air by manned and unmanned balloons is actively continued, and the results are published in the Proceedings of the academy. A separate appendix contains a revision of the yearly means of barometric pressure at various stations since 1886, by Dr. Margueles, and a discussion of thunderstorms and hail, by M. Prohaska. The results of meteorological and magnetical observations at Stonyhurst College for 1905 have just been issued. This useful observatory possesses photographic recording instruments both for meteorology and terrestrial magnetism, and was one of the seven principal stations included in the scheme of the Meteorological Committee in 1868 for the discussion of the meteorology of the British Isles; its observations extend over the long period of fiftyeight years. The most notable feature of the year appears to us to be the shortage of rainfall, amounting to just upon 8 inches. The total rainfall was 38.84 inches; the least fall in any year was 31.25 inches, in 1887. The prevailing wind was between south and west on 237 days. Drawings of solar spots and facuke were made on 196 days, and the stellar spectrograph was employed on nearly every available night.
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Meteorological Observations . Nature 74, 186–187 (1906). https://doi.org/10.1038/074186a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/074186a0