The Washington herald., 1922-05-18
RADIOS FROM ARCTIC
TO PREDICT WEATHER

RADIOS FROM AhCT1C
To PREDICT WEATHER
Radio reports which explorers win
send from the arctic region are ex-
pected to add TO meteorological
knowledge and make more effective
the governments system OF wealth
er forecasts, according 20 z. B. CAL
vert, in charge Of the forecast d.
vision OF the United States weather
Bureau, who recently addressed
the Philosophical Society. Ar
rsngements for the first. series OF
the reports from the Amundsen
arctic expedition have already been
made.
We feel certain" said Mr.. CAL
vert, that conditions in and about
the polar regions have a decided
bearing on conditions OF the inhsb-
tied regions 10 the southwark. The
crying need is for more information
from these places. II is not sup
posed that telegraph, telephone or
cable lines will even be advanced
into the frozen regions Of the
North, but il is well within reason
and expectation that scientists
equipped with radio apparatus will
penetrate these regions. suffer
hardships for the sake Of science,
and send daily reports which Will
mean so much to meteorology and
the progress Of the world" 4
Many radio receiving sets are
being installed by farmers who
have no access to telegraph and
telephone service and who do not
receive the newspapers until late
in the day, IL at all. The Weather
Bureau has established broadcast
ing systems in many parts OF the
country. Already there are eighty
stations in operation and the num-
ber is being increased rapidly. Soon
every progressive farmer will be
able to obtain the information es-
sentisl in the production OF his
crops as quickly as the city
dweller.
Until the advent Of radio COM
munications IL was impossible TO
obtain current information as 10
conditions prevailing over the large
water areas or TO warn ships after
they had left sight Of land. Now
conditions are different Last year
10000 observations were received
from 2ss individual ships by radio.
By means OF these vessel reports
storms and hurricanes are located
and their intensity. direction of
movement and rate OF progress are
determined.
Last October a hurricane was
located in this way in the Csrri-
bean Sea southwest Of Cuba. 500.
miles from land" said Mr.. Calvert,
1T was a storm OF tremendous en-
erGy such as few vessels could out
ride or escape without loss or great
damage. Five days from the tine
it was detected the hurricane
struck near Tampa, Fla, and did
great damage, but ships had been
turned back by the warnings sent
out and not a single one was lost
or seriously damaged.
The system OF disseminating the
forecasts and warnings for the
beneht OF ships is the most COM
plete and effective in the world,
and il is made possible by the ef-
fective cooperation OF the office OF
communications Of the Navy De-
partment; nearly all the ship re-
ports being received by the naval
radio stations and all the broad
casting.
Radio has also done much to
overcome some OF the difficulties in
communication which have him
dered exchange Of weather infor-
nation between nations. Cyclones
pay no attention to boundary lines
and the conditions prevailing over
, one country today may aftect an
other tomorrow or a week hence.
There must be freedom OF eN-
change of meteoroloEical reports
/ among all nations, both for the
| good OF the individual nation and
= of the whole.
Arrangements were made last
, week for forwarding daily q radio
message 10 France containing
about thirty observations from
points in the United States and
Canada and to receive in exchange
! a group Of European reports.
Reports are now collected in
Europe by radio and transmitted 10
the United States from London by
ca BILE. All Of the twelve Pacific
and Far Eastern reports come by
radio. Observations taken I'M japan.
China and the Philippines at s
o'clock in the morning are re-
ceived in Washington and charted
by IL a. m
Radio cannot however. replace
the present wire system. which is
the speediest and most effective in
the world. What is equivalent to
1900 messages could not be sent
and received on schedule and with
certainty in an hours time be-
cause many wave lengths would be
needed to avoid interference and
two hours a day could not be set
aside for the exclusive use of the
! Weather Bureau"