Bisbee daily review., 1913-12-30
VOLCANIC BLASTS HURL DUST FROM
 ALASKA TO AFRICA
Smithsonian Scientist Ad- vances Theory that Explos- ions Have Worldwide Ef- feet on Climate.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 2s-C. G. Alb bot, Director of the Astrophysical ob. serYatoFy ot the Smithsonian Institu- tion, in a recent communication to the National Geographic Society. at Washington. advances the theory that volcanic explosions affect our climate. sometimes to the extent of several degres.
 Certainly an agency capable of sending vast clouds of dust to a height of 20 miles in the air there to be distributed by the winds all over the word, and to remain in suspension for months or years, causing the de- crease Of the direct radiation of the sun by as much as 20 per cent is a climatic influence not to be ignored, 2 says Director Abbot
 While making measurements on the quantity of heat coming from the sun at Bassour, Algeria. shortly after the eruption of Mount Katmai, in Alaska, Director Abbot states that be noted streaks resembling smoke lying along the horizon, which in the course of day or so developed into such a haze that work was practically impos sibie. This condition remained for nearly three months. Returning to America, Mr. Abbott states he found bis conclusions that the Alaskan vol cano. gas responsible were confirmed. The dust resulting from the explosion lad travelled at a rate of from 9 to 70 miles an hour.
 The rates of progression were as follows Toward Washington, 40 miles per hour; toward Bassour. g miles per hour and toward Mount Wilson, 3 miles per hoIr.
 What do we ordinarily receive from the sun. The direct solar beam and the skylight r there were no a.. nosphere, we should also receive the rays absorbed by atmospheric vapors and the rays reflected away to spacs from the upper atmosphere. The sun of these four quantities should be ep- proximately equal 10 the heat of tha solar beam outside of the earth's at mosphere. as. for instance. on the moon. Prior to the Mount Katmai ex- pIosion, experiments made at Mount Wilson and Mount Whitney showed that the rays reflected away in;c space were less than .O5 calory Of the total heating effect outside the atmos- phere. This loss amounted to .2So calory per sq. cm. during the summer following that explosion.
 Director Abbot goes on to show ths tremendous power exsrted by voica' noes. citing the ouJburst of Krakatoa in 1883, which was heard 5000 miles away. The area over which the act. al mines O. the explosion was heard embraced one-ttirteenth Of the area cf the globe. It was computed that fine dust from ths volcano reached an al titude at first of 120,O0O feet and was still at a height Of 50,000 feet more than g year after the eruption, says Mir. Abbot.
 It seems to me that there car be little question that the volcanic haze has very appreciabiy influenced the march of temperature in tFc United States he says When we take the march of temperature for the whole wcrId the apparent effect is not so king but in case of Mount Katmai there are so fany conflicting ini.r- enees at work that 1t is perhaps toe much to expect so good an agreement Tn view cs s!sass ss!sssaass sight preliminary study of temperature, it seems 10 me trat the question cf the effect of Yoi' caniecanic haze on terrestiai temper ature is well worth serious cons'css- ation."