Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-05-05
CLIMATE OF THE UPPER AIR
Variation OF Temperature In Atmos-
phere at Great Height.

phere mt Great Height.
That at great heights, 10000 or 10000
feet. the seasons occur ct different
times of the year from those on the
surface of the earth lust below appears
from numerous measurements of tenn
perature taken with sounding bal
looms" or small captive balloons con
tanning automatically registering IN
struments.
The fact that midsummer comes in
October in the upper air and midwin-
ter in April appears TO have an I'M
portant influence on the weather of
these months, as is noted in an article
In Ciel ct Terre, abstvcjcd in Cosmos.
The author first notes that the upper
air temperatures measured by the
method referred to above are Surprls-
ingly low. He writes:
Facts regarding thermlc conditions
in the upper regions Of the atmosphere
are always of interest. Data collected
on this point several years ago by
means of sounding balloons caused
some establishment. but nevertheless
they do not appear so remarkable when
we compare them with facts obtain
ed more recently. since aerOstats and
perfected devices have made il posi-
bic for us to penetrate 10 still lOftier
elevations.
con Dec. 3, 1901, balloon sent up
at Trappes. near Versailles, by Teis-
serene de Bort reached the height Of
46904 feet At this great height the
temperature was % degrees f. In the
same December a piece Of apparatus
sent up by Mr. Rotch at st. Louis reg
istered 122 degrees f. at 4S,544 feet
These figures, which are actual rec
ords, have now been exceeded, as we
shall see at least so far rs the Eu-
ropean continent goes.
I'm the interchangeable Zeitschrift
for July last r. Nimfuhr announces the
temperature registered on two sound
ing balloons sent up from Vienna on
March and April I. 1905. The mini
ma recorded in these aScensionS were,
on March >, 121 degrees T. ut 31,S12
feet, and on April /, III degrees f. at
36113 feet. These represent up to the
present day the extreme figures re-
corded in Europe,
at is important to note in this re-
gard that in the elevated layers of the
atmosphere the fuctuation Of the tenn
perature I'm lergoeS a well marked an
nual variation which. however. is not
parallel to that which is familiar to us
on the lower levels. The seasons in the
upper air are late, the greatest cold oc-
curing toward spring 0he beginning
Of April and midsummer about the be-
ginning Of October
"This popularity has some influence
on the condition of the atmospheric
strata. The prOverbial variability Of
the weather in spring results largely
from the fact that then the atmosphere
IS generally in a state Of unstable
equilibrium, due to the GOODNESS and
consequent excessive weight Of the up
per layers in relation to the lower,
which, being already somewhat warm
er, are lighter.
"NOw we know that the equilibrium
Of a mass Of air IS most stable when
the layers that are relatively warm
and light are above the colder ones.
This condition is most often realized In
autumn for the reason indicated above, |
and the weather then IS less variable.
Sometimes the upper air also under
goes extraordinary thermal variations !
in the course Of day or two.
During the same lapse Of time the
distribution Of barometric pressure and |
on the earth's surface re- |
mains sensibly the same."-Literary |
Digest.