The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-18
Law of the Great Cold waves.

The more than dramatic interest always
attaching to great continental cold spells IS
heightened by some recent researches OF Nj.
Camille FlammariOn. In "A comprehensive
study Of two late severe European frOsts, the
astronomer OF Juyisy finds that tue curve OF
lowest temperature does not run, as most
people would expect, from south 10 north,
but makes on the map the most curious ~
Elections, sometimes vertical. sometimes
horizontal. Thus il sometimes happens
that Nice 10 as cold as Christiania, Norway,
though the latter is eleven hundred miles
nearer the North Pole. The discovery OF the
law BY which the atmospheric machinery
produces gigantic "c0ld wayes,p and thus
makes long. icy winters, would he as i'm
pOrtant to humanity as Professor koch's
lymph, il the former discovery should enable
meteorologists 10 give timely warning OF III
tensely rigorous seasons. How 10 account
for the erratic curves OF temperature and To
predict a cold winter, are problems when
the French astronomer leaves 10 meteor0lO-
gistsitoIsOlye. Before great frOsis can be pre-
dicted the causes Of their birth and distribu-
ton must be carefully asceftained. Strange
as it may seem, the birth Of a cold wave IL
due 10 a movement which begins, not IN the
tar North, but on the other side OF the equa-
TOR, while the South Pole glistens In the
light OF its ''midnight sun" From Noyem-
Der 10 March the accumulation OF solar he at
expanding the air Of the Southern Hemis-
phere drives much OF il across the equator
into the Northern Hemisphere, which il
enters through the channels Of the South
east trade wind Reaching the belt OF North
east trades and rises up to nigh levels OF the
atmosphere. this air, expelled from austral
regions, PUSHES nOrthward and eastward
as a powerful, dry, upper-current, gradu-
ally descending 10 the earth in high latl-
tudes. But since the globe contracts more
aud more the nearer We get u tde
Arctic area. the current. arrested by frie.
ton with the earth's surface, becomes con-
gested and banked up, forming what 10
called an anti-cycl0ne. Hence 1t slowly
grayitates back 10 the southwestward, just
as the Gulf stream, after flowing on top OF
the ocean into high ATTITUDES as northeast
erly current, returns 10 lower latitudes,
largely as an under-current, In reverse d.
rection. Ii is the southwark reilow OF the
dry, congested air, permitting an intense
degree OF terrestrial radiation, that directly
causes the severe cold spells in France
NJ. Flammarion graphically describes
SO far as the frigoritic agency OF the dry,
descending air il concerned, IL makes but
little difference on what latitude OF the con-
tinent Il alights-whether that OF Nice or OF
Christisnia. Could it be Sd diverted az TO
fall on Equatorial Africa, It's presence
would soon occasion freezing temperature.
Bereft OF watery vapor. IL allows the soil TO
pour forth Its heat with incredible swiftness
into interstellar space, and thus to become
intensely chilled, as the burning sands OF
the Sahara in a few hours, by nocturnal
radiation through dry air, become piercing
liz cold. Thus the main facts ELECTED by NJ.
Flammarion's interesting researches be-
come ineligible. Why 1t is, as shown by
his map, that the recent zero temperatures
formed 90 near the European coast 40 Paris,
a. also happened In December, 1870 and