Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-26

its archipela goes, also thriveS in the
elevated plateaus of the Caucasus and
the Himalayas, where his footprints are
not infrequently found impressed in
fields of snow. Some animals never
stray beyond the limits of the forests.
Others are governed wholly by their
food supply, and they will go anywhere
to get it. Palms and bananas require
an average temperature Of IS to 81
degrees, while lichens and MOSES will
grow at freezing and below. 1t is
possible to pass the vegetation from the
tropics to the Arctic Circle on single
mountain peak in the equatorial region.
In fact, it is said that there is one con-
gressional district in southern Cali
fornia which can raise nearly every
thing that grows on the surface Of the
globe.
The subject of climatic variations,
DR.. Moore discusses interestingly, put
ting some old truths into a new dress.
He says that if the surface of the
earth We're covered with water,
thermometer in the shade four feet in
the air would not register above 80
degrees Fahrenheit at the equator, and
that there would be no frost within 81
or 40 degrees of that line. Zero tenn
perature would never get farther than
&c degrees from the poles. which is
about the latitude of the southern
point of Greenland. If the earth were
all land and everywhere Of the same
elevation, the heat would be much
more intense than now in the tropics.
while in the temperate and frigid zones
the heat Of summer and cold of winter
would reach extremes now unknown.
The pecularitics of climate are now
caused by the different heat capacities of
land and water their different powers of
conduction and radiation, the irregular
distribution Of these Two surfaces, the
widely varying elevations of the land, the
trend of mountain ranges, the prevailing
direction of the winds, the ocean currents.
| and the relative quantities of cloud ana
| rain and snow. only during recent years
have We begun to realize how extremely
| thin is the stratum OF air next to the
| earth which is sufficiently warm for ami
NAL and vcgc table life. The raising of the
| thermometer shelter at the New York
| city Observatory from an elevation Of 10
feet above the street To one of SO feet
| caused an apparent lowering OF the mean
| annual temperature of two and halt de
| grccS. The Weather bureau made loo
| kite observations on this SUBJECT in l$..
| These showed ar average deere ass OF
| seven dc gretS for the tIrSi thousand feet
| of ascent during the warm months. ami
| decrease ot about twIcv as much at the
| hottest hour OF the day.
| AS contrasting radiatng ard absorbing
qualities OF land and water. Dr. Moore
| SAYS that the Burmuda islands have Il
daily Iange of only 10 degrees and an
| nual range Of only ~ degrees. winnie M-in-
I rlh an h,A n. nc IL
| terror OF great continent, has Il u.tlIy
| rang" of II degrees and an annual Range
Of IL degrees: The long sought ''epWl-
| able climate" is only reached in the table
| lands OF the tropics. BUg&td III abe
| United States of Colombia, has al aver
age temperature of - degrees Tor Ill the
months OF the year. and the range in the
| entire l. months is often less than that of
Il single day in some places in our latitu IL.
| For those who are Interested in science.
| the specific plans for this new laboratory.
| az set forth in Professor Moore'S rcpUrt,
| Will prove of value. The new Institution
| ContCmpldtcS:
| ID. An observatory. adapted as a school
| OF instruction and Tor making oi'SeI va
| tons OF The ordinary kind with the com
| mon meteorolOglca cal Instruments, b.trome-
| tiers, thermometers, wind and rain gauges, :
| nephUscopeS throdulites- and aCtiUnoHe-
| tiers. The first floor is for administration,
| the second for living quarters. the third
| for Laboratories, and the roof for ohScrv-
| q. A plant adapted to generate large
| Quantities of hydrogen, for balloon HICcn-
| sicuS. including Il shop for the conStruc-
| ton of balloons and kites. The as, en-
| SiomS will he limited to about four mics i'll
! height. the immediate pErpoS" hollS 4"
| measure thu. temperatures sand thermal
| gradients. This will enable the bur an to
| construct daily iSothermal charts on the
| upper plans so as to provide iSothtrm- a.
| we'll as isobarS on THE high levels. Ii i
proposed to make complete series ~
asCcnSionS first DIT Mount Weather, ana
| afterwards in different parts of tn
| nited States. in order to observe the
| temperature conditions in all classes "f
cyclones and anticyClnneS AScenSions', up
| to ~ and l. miles from the ground. Will
I've attempted when experience warrants.
hut, since storm movements are p!act-
! caIly limited to the strata within four
| miles of the ground the first group oi as
tensions will be to moderate elevations.
| C:D. \ high grade bolometer Will be in
stalled for measuring the invisible solar
radiation. which is thought by some stu
dents Ia I've largely responStbi" for the
actual temperature of the upper atfnos-
phere \ Spcctrn-helograph is required
for keeping record of the solar promi-
nrnccs. fatuae and spots prevailing at
the time Of making our weather forecasts.
Thes" ;wo instruments are the essentials
of an efficient solar physics observatory.
| IA Th, -. records will be supplemented
by an observatory equipped with modern
Instruments fot observations in atnos-
pheric electricity and In magnetism
Special research into behavior of ions
: in the atmosphere as forcrunnerS OF
weather conditions will be made.