Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-05-24
The Great Change In Solar
Constant Is Serious Menace
Climates Are Upset All Over World-Drought Threatens
India And California No Relief For Three Years
New England May Expect 1t Dry And Cold.

Has the climatic change taken place
which affects the whole world and
which, while perhaps not permanent,
nevertheless may exert for a time
profound infuence upon the economic
and even the political situation in ev-
cry civilized country?
These are not idle questions, if the
studies and conclusions of Herbert ].
Browne Of Washington have been to
any purpose. Long-range weather
forecasting appears to be approach
ing the status ora science, and should
T. become one, its possibilities for
/ good can hardly be measured. Mr..
Browne is it's chief exponent, at least
in these parts: and he has scientific
authorities back Of him.
Indeed Mr.. Browne already has
some accomplishments to his credit
which are worthy of record. He pre-
dicted long in advance a cold dry year
with the temperature below normal
turnout the country, although with
local exceptions, and the prophecy
j IS being fulfilled. He said that this.
years winter wheat crop would pan
out well and it promises to do so, as
does the spring crop. He forecast de-
structive cold waves in the South and
they have come, extending even to
Texas and Mexico. He prophes;ed a
serious and early failure of Eastern
pasturage, and the prophecy has
,een borne out, especially. in the
1 South. He said conditions in the
Western range country, would be a.
bout normal and favorable, and they
| have proved so. But Mr.. Browne OBJ
iects to being set down as a prophet;
he says he is doing nothing more than
translating or constituting the newt
| able effect of certain physical phe-
nomena, already in evidence. The
object of this letter is not to glorify
Mr.. Browne but to describe the condi-
Sions which, in his opinion, make it
possible to deduce certain. effects
rom certain cause.
Abnormal weather conditions thru
out the world, according to Mr..
Browne, are ascribable to the decline
If the SUMS heat as measured by the
Solar Constant, the unit of measure
ment of the heat of the sun which,
rom a normal of 1.94 or more lit has
been as high as 1857 dwindled to
80. This low point continued since
September 1922, into 1923. It then
lose slightly but began declining a.
gain in November, 1928, and is again
It a very low point. The effect of
shis drop is to lower the temperature
If all open oceans and the decline
temperature of these oceans is e.
1ual to about Az degrees F. all over
he world. Twice this Toss, it is esti-
mated, would bring an ice cap over
the sub-Artic and upper temperate
Zones Of the earth; and a long con-
sinuance Of the present range would
produce profound climatic changes.
This theory, it may be said, is sus-
tanned by Professor W.. ]. Humph-
reys, meteorological of the United
States Weather Bureau, author OF
Physics of the Air" and esteemed the
| greatest atmospheric physicist in the
United States.
The situation is growing intensely
practical, in view Of the possibility, as
voiced by Mr.. Browne, that these con-
ditions may continue throughout the
world until 1926 and 1927. He says
specifically: "The temperature of the
ocean, lowering with the decline of
the Solar Constant since January,
1922, has already produced a condi-
ton which makes more ominous than
ever the world crop. forecast for 1926.
q. The oceans lag in their tempera.
ture effects as a whole some three
years beh nd. the long period swings
n the solar heat. With the return Of
the year period of sun spots which
can be written down for 1926-27,
there is danger of return, world
wide in its effects, of period IKE
Il 1916, 'the year without a summer"
or what in Scandinavian hisory is
known as the Fimbul winters" Only
one factor is lacking, in the opinion
of Mr.. Browne, to make certain the
II onnr,ohensions of the disastrous era
herein fore-shadowed. This is great
volcanic explosion, like that of Tom
boro, which preceded the "year with
out summer" of 1915. Such an ex-
plosion, or one like that Of .Katmai
in 1912, would throw so great vol
ume Of volcanic dust into the upper
air as by intercepting> the suns heat,
to reduce the earth's temperature to
the danger point.
Taking the country as whole the