New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-08-20
NEW METHOD FOR
WEATHER BUREAU
FORECASTS MAY SOON BE BASED
ON OBSERVATIONS OF THE
SUMS VARIATIONS.
EXPLAINED BY DR.. c. G. ABBOT
Director Of Smithsonian institutions
Astro- Physical Observatory 0iseov-
cred That the Output Of the Suns
Energy 10 Variable.
By M p.

BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.
Westinghouse new method for
making the weather forecast may. be
adopted as II result of experiments
now being conducted by the Smithson-
ian institution.
As all astronomers know. the dis
cOvery that the output of the suns
energy Is variable was made exclu-
sively by DR.. G. q. Abbot, assistant sec
rotary of the institution and director
of its astro-physical observatory. Stu
dents OF the weather are finding that
II relationship exists between the vari-
ations in the solar energy received by
the earth and variations In the wealth
er of the earth. Already weather pre-
dictiOns in the Argentine republic are
made by a thoroughly trained Ameri-
can meteorologlst based upon reports
of solar energy measured by the Smith
sonian Institutions station in Chile,
and the success there has stimulated
the study with a view of changing the
weather mans working basis for the
United States.
As n %f0rerunner OF the probable
| change for this country, DIR. Abbot
| plans greater facilities for the meas
urement Of the solar energy so as to
obtain continuous observations
throughout the year and also to have
the advantage of several widely sepa'
rated points of observation. One sta
| ton Is now maintained on Mount VIII
son, California. and another In Chile.
but the Institutions program proposes
new stations In Egypt and at Yuma,
Ariz. Scientists are confident that
with these stations the weather fore
| casting OF the United States may be
placed on a solar basis for the hrst
time because measurements OF solar
| radiation may be obtained every day,
and will not suffer from interruptions,
as ut present. from cloudy or rainy
days.
The Astro. Physical Observatory.
But what is the astro-physlcal OBJ
servatory, and what good Is III
1.-THE astro-physical observatory"
nswer Dr. Abbot. us a unique insti-
tuition. the only one in the world which
carries OF Il thorough study Of the prob
lem which Is fundamental 10 the life
and the growth of everything upon
the earth.
AS you know" he continued, 1.-THE
earth IL habitable only because II has
a certain mean temperature ranging
between freezing and the temperature
of the blood. Not only so. but the
growth OF plants. food plants, depends
on IA very much narrower range In
temperature, so that, for example, a
change OF ten degrees Fahrenheit In
the mean temperature would make all
the difference between growing ap-
pies and growing oranges in certain
places.
THE temperature Is maintained by
the rays Of the sun which shine upon
the earth. interrupted, OF course. In
the passage through the air by clouds,
dust and the like and by the mole
cules Of the atmosphere itself. Then
the earth is sending ont rays In an
equivalent amount. but these rays de-
pend upon the temperature of the
earth, 80 that you have n certain tenn
peraturc as the balance between he In
coming rays of the sun and the out
going rays Of the earth. both hindered
by the atmosphere.
Variations Of the Sun.
This question which is fundamental
to the life and the growth of every
thing upon earth Is the main question
which the nstro-physical observatory
investigates.
"It has been n principal discovery
OF our observatory that the sun is not
constant, hut Is n variable star over
a range Of from 3 per cent To some
times 10 per cent These variations
occur In short irregular time intervals,
so that next week perhaps the radla-
ton may be ) per cent lower than II
is today. The weather IL likely Ia he
changed and the temperature altered
BY these variations Of the sun.
IF the farmers of the country were
10 consider the question Of attempting
TO find the laws governing these
changes in the amount of heat re-
ceived from the sun, you cannot con.
ceive that they would not willingly
nav great uin when We think of the
dependence of the agricultural inter
ests upon the sun. upon which also
depends the weather"
Alaska Development Plans
John Barton Payne. secretary Of
the department Of the interior. has
returned To Washington from an
inspection tour of Alaska with Jo-
sephus Daniels. secretary of the
navy. The trip was made from
Seattle 10 Alaska an a United States
destroyer and the object wa TO get
Information al first hand ~ TO what
steps should he taken 10y the gov
eminent toward Facilitating the de
velopnient ~ the ''ls~r frontier Of
the United Siafe~.
Before Secretary Payne started on
he trip he had plans under va for
the greater development of Alaskan
reSources. He had = special commit
tee AZ work for some time preparing