The evening times., 1896-02-04
STORMS AND THEIR CAUSE
Effect Of the Magnetism Of the
Sun on the Weather.
STUDY OF THE CHANGES
Sun Spots ana Auroras-New Theory
of the Origin of Observation-Disclosures
Turn in the Science Of MeteOrOIogy.
What Research of the Scientists
Has Discovered.

The leading feature in the mcteoroiogy o
! the earth is the fact that the suns radiation
warns the tropical and temperate zones
leaving the arctic regions cold.
From this inequality of temperature Their
are produced conventional currents, Oi
which the primary are the tropical trades
blowing westerly, and the upper current il
the temperate zones blowing casterly. Tn
movements OF the highs and lows
in the United States have much to do will
this eastward current. and upon it depends
the main east ward drift that Is at the ba 81
OF the practical forecasts OF the weathe
Bureau.
The most remarkable feature regarding
this eastward drift. over the entire hemis
phere, is that sometimes 1t is very rapid
and at other times very slow. the accelcra
tiun and the stagnatiOn succeeding eact
other at uncertain intervals. This irresI
larity is, on the whole, the most difficult
feature in forecasting TO take account or
and from it is due many Of the failures.
A sudden slowing up OF the drift will nee
essarily throw the whole forecast into con
fusion and an unexpected rush will also pro
duce disaster. This peculiar change i'll rat,
OF motion seems 10 occur simultaneous,
over the two continents and the two oceans
and is therefore probably due TO some grca-
cosmical agency a work.
Taking the United States weather alone
IT has been discovered that on the east, ri
slope Of the Rocky Mountains, in the Cana
dian poss cssinns, in the ncighbOrhoud o
il5 degrees west longitude ana o5 de
grees north latitude, there exists a prcul
Jar mechanism. whose work is to turn GU
a series Of areas of high ard low blrome
ter. called for short highs" and lows
folio wing each other in an apparently
fortuitous sequence. which then advaEc,
over the United States il the form ol
defined paths.
WHAT THE STUDY SHOWS.
A careful study OF the succession OF
the highs and lows in the Northwcs,
has revealed the fact that there is a pecJiar
curve which they try to follow in their in
tcnsIty, and that they tend to repeat the
same curve every 26.6s days. This curv,
has a grand sweep with two ma xinIa and
two minirua in II and ten minor ,reSts
spread along 1t in quite symmetrica
manner.
lH' NEAT VI tH' 'dHl
ward drift Is that the succession Of tn,
highs" and lows is along this curve
in one position. and then along the same
curve when IL is inverted or turned over
This inversion If found to occur at very
Irregular intervals. and yet in such a wa
as TO be- certainly connected with the motion
OF the earth about the sun.
These considerations point 10 some kind
OF energy that comes from outside the
earth. falls upon the whole hemisphere and
is associated with The SIMS action. Finally
when the great prcpOnderance in the
number OF storms i'll North America over
tIe corresponding localities i'll Asia in the
middle of the continent Is considered, the
number in America being about ten times
as great as in \ sia, ii is necessary 10 look
ior some cause that accounts for this pecu-
lIarity. The prcpUn'icrInce uf storms in
North America, the inversion OF the order
OF theig product ion. the alternate hasten
ing and slowing up Of the eastward drift,
are facts OF Profound meaning in seeking
the fundamental laws regarding the origin
OF storms.
THE MAGNETIC THEORY.
A study OF the variations OF the mag
netic field Of the earth has brought ont
q new series Of facts that seem To- be- very
closely connected with those lust men
toned. II is shown that a field OF force
is impressed upon the earth in directions
that nearly coincide with the magnetic
When this force increases an impulse
is propa gated from the north TO the south.
, a in, nf rhan IA.
nlcnetic and electric field of the earth
suffers perturba tions OF storms that show
themselves in an outburst of beautiful an
roral light or in the electric currents
that temporarily destroy teierraphic com
An examination of the places of the
relative frequency of the auroras shows
hat there is a maximum belt running from
Alaska over the southern portion OF the
Canadian possessions near the lower end
Df Hudson Bay. over Labrador. thence
70 the north of Norway. Sweden. Siberia
I'LL the circuit is completed. In shape it
s 4 rude oval embracing the geographical
pole and the magnetic pole near Boothia
Island. The center OF the outspreading
ma gnetic force Just mentioned is midway
between these poles and It's meridians are
perpendicular 70 the auroral ovals all over
he hemisphere. This force is at a ma ximum
,ver the auroral belt sinks away somewhat
% the center, and falls rapidly to the south.
CARRIES STORMS.
Now it is known that the aurora, this
magnetic force and the sun spots all rise
and fan together in intensity in the eleven
year period. This is another clew TO our
that stern action is dependent
upon the solar output, transmitted in
long, wide. sweeping magnetic cures, ard
falling upon the polar regions of the earth,
the sunlight meanwhile radiating to its
tropical zone.
Another group CT facts of more detailed
nature Indicate the same conclusion. \
study of the curves of change in the 26.6S
lay periods shows that the same variations
ran be traced throughout the magnetic
fields of Europe Asia. America and Aus
tralia, the impulses being common TO the
Earth.
1t is found that the temperature ard
Drcssures of the Northwest have the same
pulsation. which arrives i'll the Dakotas
n one day after the magnetic change has
taken place. This same curve. on apply
M the period through lcng series of
years, is discovered to be OF the same type
IN which the sun spots tend to group them
selves, the southern hemisphere being the
lrect type and the northern hemisphere
he inverse type: This implies that the
period 26.6S is that of the rotation OF the
iun's nucleus. and agrees very closely with
he time computed for the visible surface
at the suns equator from the motions of
the sun spots.
THE sun A GREAT MAGNET.
The inference follows that the sun is an
immense magnetic sphere. like the earth,
he north pole positive and the south pole
negative; that it sends ont great waves of
orce. which reach the earth in the distur-