Bisbee daily review., 1906-05-15
Chief of United States Weather Bureau Scouts Popular The oy That It Has an Import ant Effect Here.
Rains Came Before Artificial Lake and. Therefore Sea Can Have No Effect on Precipita- ton in This Territory.


 corning the effect of the diversion of the water from the Colorado river into the Salton sink upon the climate of Arizona. Several articles have ap- peared in the newspapers tending to show that the large flow of water into the Salton sink has changed the cii- mate of the southwest to an appre- ciable extent. It is even asserted that, since the Salton sink became moderately full. the temperature of the air was greatly modified and the rain fall increased thereby.
 In order to obtain more definite in- formation relative to the supposed changes in the climatic conditions, a prominent resident of Yayapai county addressed the chief of the weather bu- reau upon the subject as follows:
 "I am keenly interested in the prob able prevailing weather in this sec tion of Arizona, Yavapai county and vicinity. The past two years have been wet, preceded by several dry years. It is rumored that these rains are caused by the presence of the large lake formed in the Salton sea region of California, through the breaking of the large and extensive dyke located at the intake of the Imperial Canal company, and by which the entire flow of the Colorado river has forced it's way into the Salton sink, several hun dred feet below the river bed. If this is true. it would mean that the future years would be wet also. Of course, you are more thoroughly familiar with all of the facts of the matter, and can give me more accurate information. shall be obliged for an expression of
 your views upon this alltmportant question"
 In the reply to this communication the chief of the weather bureau dwells
 particularly upon the fallacy of the theory that a change in the climate of the territory has resulted from the fill ing of the Salton sink. The views as embodied in the letter are clear and comprehensive. The letter is, in part, as follows:
 The greatest difficulty in ascribing the heavy rains that have been expert | enced in Arizona during the last two winters to the formation of an artifi- cial lake in the Salton sink lies in the | fact that the rains came first, fact that should be recalled by clear think l ink people of the southwest. If my 1 information is correct, the canal l through which the original diversion of water was made was not finished until November, 1904. The phenome- nally heavy rains in Arizona came in
 January, 1905, about month after the completion of the canal, and several months before there was any sem l blance of a lake in the Salton sink.
 Tt was the floods caused by the i heavy rains in Arizona and cOntigu- ous territory that destroyed the tenn ] porary headworks' of the canal, and 1 thereby opened the way to a complete 1 diversion of the waters of the Colo rado and the formation of the present | lake.
 "The effect of this artificial body of water on the climate of the southwest may be considered as practically nil.
 It is true that the evaporation of wa | ter from the lake surface will be much
 greater than from the desert that for merly occupied it's bed, but in the ab- sence of factors which produce con densation, the increased amount of water vapor thrown into the air avails nothing so far as rainfall is concerned. It is not possible to condense it so that it will be returned to the earth as rain. The same is true of the water | that passes into the air in the form or yapor from the Gulf O. California. The shores of that body of water are prob ably about as arid as can be found ! in any part of the globe. The true req son of it's aridity is to be sought in | the general circulation of the atmos-
 phere, as modified by the action of continental masses, rather than in To- 1 cal topography or proximity of large l bodies of water.
 Tn the region of the great lakes l the precipitation on the leeward side of the several lakes is probably lit ] tie greater than on the windward side, 1 but the difference is not of moment. In the matter of temperature, however, there is decided amelioration of the l rigors of winter due to the influence of | the lake waters, and likewise the ex- l trene heat of summer is diminished,
 especially on the leeward side of the | lakes.
 Tt seems probable that the temper ature conditions in the vicinity of Sal | ton sink will be slightly affected by | the presence of that body of water, the most noticeable changes being a ten ! dency to higher temperatures in win | ter along the shores of the lake, and | thus a protection from frost, and a slightly lower temperature in summer | along the leeward shore. Doubtless | the lower summer temperatures will i be more insuferable than those for
 merly experienced, by reason of the
 increased humidity. In any event, the | influence of this body of water situat.
 ed in the heart of the desert. cannot extend much, if any, beyond ten miles | from it's immediate shores.
 The people of the southwest should
 not be led to expect the slightest modi | fication. of climate as a result of the formation and continuance of the Sal ton sea.