The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-13
International weather Science Ina~-
Gurated.

gurated.
The long proposed system of International
weather reports has at last been inaugurated
The Signal Office has just received the first
bulletin from N. Quetelet the distinguished
meteorological Of Utrecht The British. Rus
sian, Norwegian, Danish and Austrian govern
mental weather bureaus have entered into an
arrangement for the exchange of international
weather observations The Meteorological
Congress, convened at Vienna last September,
unanimously recommended to all the powers
there represented the exchange of at least one
uniform observation that would enable the
scientist to construct daily synoptic charts.
These arc designed to show, at glance, the
atmospheric conditions, with their undulations
and cyclonic depressions, as they overspread
the whole hemisphere at given moment. The
readings of the barometer, and all the other
meteoric observations which 60 to make up
the daily international report are, there
FORE all taken spontaneously, at twenty
five minutes to eight o'clock A. NJ. OF
Washington time. In addition to the
nationalities now cooperating in this
vast scheme of international science Turkey
and France will probably soon be enlisted,
and their observations be interchanged with
ours. Efforts, too, it is understood, are in
promising progress for the further extension
Of the system to India and China, where
meteorological Investigations have engaged
popular interest When this is accomplished
(and it is obviously . mere question Of time)
the whole Northern Hemisphere will be belted
with network of meteorological stations
cooperating in the grand international science
enterprise.
Into the vast volume of official research
which will then flow numerous scientific
societies, associations and individuals will
pour their contributing streams and rills.
The only gaps in the zone of stations will be
the oceans. But evidently this very fact
shows the necessity for speedy provision for
supplying, by marine observations, the felt
deficiency. The HERALD has earnestly urged
the systematic collection and utilization of the
invaluable log books and storm data brought
into port by every steamer and almost every
sailer. Thus, besides amassing material for
the meteorological, from which he might wrest
many secrets from the Storm King, and learn
the mysteries of the oceanic climate and cir
culation, the mariner would himself be greatly
enlightened in the knowledge peculiarly
needed in his responsible profession.
The Inauguration of this cosmopolitan sys-
tenn marks a new and significant era in scien-
tifc inquiry. Meteorology is not an isolated
science and must be studied over wide and
varied field OF atmospheric evoluhons. Its de-
auctions intimately concern the interests of
agriculture, inland and foreign commerce,
navigation and sanitary economy, the march
of epidemics, the changes Of local climates and
countless other interests of mankind. The
interchange of ideas can be no less ad-
vantageous than the interchange of physical
observations, as provided for in this new sys-
tenn, while the immediate and tangible benefits
must soon follow.
There remains little more to be desired now
but the perfection of some system which may
convert our large fleets of ocean steamers and
the mercantile marine into so many floating
servatories-countless co-operators in ad-
vancing science in which every sailor natu-
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