The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-06-29

THE statement that the United States
Weather Bureau has taken over on
- what amounts to a long term lease
NE famous volcano Kilauea in Hawaii
mas undoubtedly caused the great number
cf those who noticed it 20 wonder what
Connection there can possibly be between
Splcanoes and the weather.
- The answer is that among the many
Factors which produce the combinations OF
beat and cold, wetness and dryness, air cur
rents and air calmnesEes which we group
under the general title of weather, vol
.csnoes have been found TO be a very inn
acrtant element, indeed; so important that
Z an observatory could be placed on every
ore of these chimney stacks of our earth
he forecasts, science says, could be i'm
Proved by at least fifty per cent. The
taking over of Kilauea and a substantial
grant of money to the Weather Bureau for
the extension of observations on other vol
seanoes is a forward step in this direction.
AT first thought it would appear that the
only effect volcanoes could possibly have
upon climatic conditions would be to re-
lease into the atmosphere vast quantities
or heat units, raising the temperature
within a limited distance-sOmeWhat in
the fashion of opening a furnace door
aid so affecting the balance of the forces
that determine our weather. But this is
entirely wrong. Volcanoes produce not
hot weather. but cold The fires which
they give forth do nothing whatever, but
the dust and ashes that they throw out
do a great deal.
A tremendous eruption of Mount Erebus,
near the South Pole. could, and at least
once has, given US an approximation of the
glacial age in a cold-killing Winter and
cold Summer in which little vegetation
could develop and ripen.
How could this come about?
The temperature of the earth is deter
mined wholly by the amount of radiant
energy it receives from the sun. This
energy, in the form of light rays, passes
through the space between us and our
luminary without any effects of heat. But
our earth is surrounded by a gaseous en-,
velope which we call the atmosphere.
When the rays of the sun pass through the
atmosphere and fall upon the earths sur
face their energy is released in the form
OF heat Almost all the heat in our atmos-
pierre comes from the radiation of sun
rays from earth's surface.
The sun delivers then every day a GER
tain quantity of heat rays through the at
mOspheric envelope of our earth. II the
skies be clear about half of this heat
speaking very rOughly-reaches the surface
of the world. The other rays have been
turned back by minute particles OF dust
and by particles OF Watery yapOr II there
are Clouds why then these masses inter
rupt the passage Of more rays.
Now we know that we can shield our
selves from the suns heat by parasols, or
umbrellas, or wide-brimmed hats, or avn
ings. and so Oh. We know that these
shields keep us cooler than we would be
without them What We do with the para
soils, umbrellas and so on is TO turn back
tHe suns rays from directly striking us.
What the volcanoes do is exactly the
same thing!
BY throwing up countless tons of fine
. st high in the atmosphere they inteFpOse
Between the sun and us a eOsmiC umbrella.
The sun rays are DETECTED by the count
less particles back into space, and every
ole so turned back means one unit Of heat
lost to US. The dust thrown up by the ire
mendous eruptions is known to have risen
as high as fifty miles The grains are so
minute that graVitation has very little
effect upon them and they may, and often
do. require years to fall back to earth's
surface. In the meantime they are taken
by the winds and strewR throughout the