Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-08-15
CAST
WEEK IN ADVANCE
Study of Sun Makes Fore
cast Possible.


has a proven relation not only to
changes in the earth's temperature,
out to the variations in weather conu-
lions in general, Smithsonian institu-
ton scientists have decided after ex-
periments covering a long period. 10
increase the dependabllity of their oD-
servations, the experts hope to estao-
llsh within a few years stations In
various parts of the world where data
can be gathered.
Through series Of papers dealing
with experiments of its astrophysical
observatory, the institution says re-
searches give clear proof Of con-
nection between solar variations and
weather changes, but show that the
relation Is a complex one"
Whether recent abnormal aspects OF
worldwide weather have been caused
by solar conditions cannot be deter
| mined, because extended records or
the past history Of solar radiation are
lacking.
Basis for Predictions.
| DR.. G. G. Abbot, assistant secretary
Of the institution and the director OF
the astrophysical observatory, says
that not only does the heat received
by the earth from the sun appear
variable, but that the changes can be
predicted nearly a week In advance by
/ looking at the sun through telescope.
II. II. Clayton, who for several years
was official forecaster Of Argentina
and recently has been collaborating
with Doctor Abbot through study OF the
sun, has predicted, with what the In
stitution asserts Is very fair accuracy,
the actual daily temperatures OF New
York city nearly a week in advance
| for more than year.
| For several years the work mas
been conducted from two observa-
tories, one at Mount Harqua Hala,
Ariz., and the other near Calama, In
the nitrate desert of Chile. Both are
in high, arid locations. To increase
| the accuracy Of the observations I'M
provements are being planned for the
| Chile station, while the Arizona OBJ
servatory is to be moved to higher
location on Table mountain, California,
near Los Angeles.
Stations in the Eastern hemisphere
are needed and DR.. Abbot will go to
Asia this fall and. with funds supplied
by the National Geographic society,
seek a desirable location for an OBJ
servatory, with Beluchistan as his first
objective. Later he will go to south
west Africa, in search of probable
site for an observatory there.
Effect on Barometer.
Since 1922 researches have been
! conducted under the most unusual
solar conditions known to modern
science through marked long-con-
tinued low period in the amount Of
heat thrown out by the sun. Whereas
| the normal has been established as
1874 calories per square centimeter per
minute, this value, known as the solar
| constant, since 1922 has been as low
as 100, or 2 per cent below normal. AT
present it is 1.93 and showing a ten
dency to rise. The phenomenal drop
was first announced by Doctor Abbot
in April, 1923, and he then pronounced
that departures Of some sort from
normal weather conditions might be
expected.
Mr.. Clayton says that changes in
the suns heat almost Immediately at
feet the barometer and the thermome-
ter in western Canada and western
United States, perhaps as a reaction
from the tropical atmosphere, travel
ing with the velocity Of sound. The
atmospheric waves thus set up drift
slowly south and east, and three days
later are observable at New York
city. Strangely enough, it has been
| shown that it is not an increase, but
a decrease Of solar heating that makes
| it warmer in the east.