Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-02-14
CLIMATE OF THE UPPER Alp
Variation OF Temperature In Atmos-
pherc ut Grent Height.

VARIATION OF Temperature In Atmos-
phere mt Great Height.
That at great heights, 10000 or 10000
feet, the seasons occur at different
times of the year from those on the
surface of the earth just 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. distracted in Cosmos.
The author first notes that the upper
air temperatures measured by the
method referred to above are surpris-
ingly low. He writes:
Facts regarding thermlc conditions
In the upper regions of the atmosphere
arc 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 it posi-
bic for us to penetrate to still loftier
elevations.
"On Dec. ., 1901, balloon sent up
at Trappes, near Versailles, by Teis-
serene de Bort reached the height of
46,0O4 feet. At this great height the
temperature was 90 degrees +. In the
same December piece of apparatus
sent up by Mr.. Rotch at st. Louis reg
istered 122 degrees +. at 1854 feet.
These figures. which are actual rec
ords, have now been exceeded, as we
shall see, Mt least so far as the Eu-
ropean continent goes.
I'm the Intercollegiate Zeitschrift
for July last r. Nimfuhr announces the
temperature registered on two sound.
ing balloons sent up from Vienna on
March and April 4, 1905. The mini
ma recorded In these ascensions were.
on March ., 121 degrees f. at 3l.S72
rect, and on April 4, Ill degrees +. at
3G,1l3 feet. These represent I'D to the
present day the extreme figures re-
corded I'm Europe.
ut is important to note in this re-
gard that III the elevated layers of the
atmosphere the fiuctuation of the tenn
perature undergoeS 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 1.-THE beginning
or ApriD 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 state OF unstable
equilibrium, due TO the coldness and
consequent excessive weight of the up
per layers i'm relation to the lower,
which, being already somewhat warm
er, are lighter
NOW we know that the equilibrium
of 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 a day or two.
During the same lapse OF time the
distribution of barometric pressure and
temperature on the earth's surface re-
mains sensibly the same "-Literary
Digest.