The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-05-07
HEIGHT GOVERNS
SPEED !! J J !: !: | ! IN AIR
Geography Of the Atmosphere
Outlined BY a Practical ,:
~ Ss Aeronaut.
CONSISTS or. TWO LAYERS

CONSISTS OF. TWO LAYERS
! ersatsst Discovery Vet Made In TX
plerins The AIr-Attain Speed q
200 Miles IN Hour At Higher
/ ;...s. t ~ "A.
! Washington.-In his spectacular
Aisht establishing q new aviation alti.
tude record Maj. Rudolrh w. Schroe.
: der found trade winds of 200 miles
IN hour velocity far above the clouds.
press dispatches state. The Dayton
co., test pilot merely reported one Of
the, new phenomena resulting from
. study Of the geography Of the air,
stimulated by serial travel, according
to bulletin Of the National Geo
graphic society. '..4~
while the chemistry and physics
Of the atmosphere are understood, the
geography Of the air Is still practical.
y unknown" says Alexander McAdts
In q communication to the society.
Great Rivers o. Air.
I'VE are aware that there are well
marked areas, zones and levels in
this inverted bowl; and, though We
may not see them. there are mighty
rivers. far exceeding any Of the
rivers Of earth in volume and speed,
rushing on for miles and miles, how-
ing vertically as well as horizontally.
There are vast calm areas and stag
nant pools; also choppy seas and
regions Of great turbulence. ~,t IN :
I'VE are learning today that there
are various layers in the air, which
must be explored and studied before
airships can travel in safety. In dy.
ing, men will use only the lower strata,
the cloud levels. Above all clouds ar
tar-stretching heights. which, too, must
be explored, not by plane and dirigibls,
but by the sounding balloon Of the
aerographer.
Zone might say offhand that there
could be no geography. Of the air; for
there are no continents, oceans or
visible geographical features in this
inverted bowl which we will call the
sky. Do we not look clean through
the atmosphere up into the heavens
and, except for passing clouds, do we
not know that there is nothing to be
scent Z
, If the density of the atmosphere
remained constant it could all be com.
pressed into layer about i've miles
thick. In that case the highest noun
tain peake would stand In space,
piercing the so called homogeneous
atmosphere. But the density decreases
with elevation, and when the aviator
lsaeAes % elevation Of 10000 meters
he IL IN 4 medium which is only about
one-third as dense as at the ground.
There are no clouds above this level.
"The greatest discovery yet made
, h exploring the air is that the at
:mosphere consists of two great layers
the lower extending from sea level
up to 10000 meters, In which there
IL q steady fall Of temperature with
elevation. This is called the tropo-
sphere. Above this there is no fall
and up to 10000 meters a slight RISE
The upper layer Is known as the
stratosphere. n5 .-,
Matter Of Height and Speed.
1T is actually possible today for an
airplane to rise from the ground to
the bottom Of the shakespeare. say
about six miles, in one hour. If we
want to explore somewhat higher, say
twenty miles, we install light instru.
ments on sounding balloon.
1.-THE intrepid aviator who tries to
force his way at high speed against
an adverse wind meets only with in
creasing resistance. But when the
wind favors, then the winged airman
spurns the slow fellow creeping on
wheels below. With accelerated speed
he passes over moor, mountain or sea
and, if need be, vaults over the clouds.
IF the captain of the winged ship
is not content with his speed he has
only to climb to upper levels, where
the flow of the air increases to thirty
and even forty meters per second, and
IN this stream he would move along
with speed relative to the earth of
200 miles an hour.
'These are not extreme values. In
stiff Northwestern which the writer
experienced some years back the wind
blew seventy-tw0 consecutive hours
t66,O0O meters, which Is nearly thirty
meters per second. This Is equivalent
to going 400 miles in three days, or
twice the distance from Labrador to-
Ireland. The highest speed Of tho wind
for any single hour was 10000
meters, 102 miles. For . period Of
about fifteen minutes the rata was
120 miles an hour" )
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