The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-02-07
RADIO MAKING
WEATHER MAN
DEPENDABLE
Meteorology viii Become Ex-
act Science When World
J Is Linked Up
By ROBERT s. THORNBURGH
international News Service.

By ROBERT s. THORNBURGH,
international News Service.
Meteorology = the business of
weather forecasting will
approach an exact science, in which
conditions for weeks, even months,
In advance may be predicted with
comparative certainty.
This is the belief of experts Of
the United States Weather Bureau,
who point out that the progress
of meteoroloGy in the future de-
ponds upon the development Of radio
communication.
The Weather Bureau was the pio-
neer of all agencies of the United
States Government in development
and experiments with radio, accord
ing to Z. B. Calvert, meteorologist
In charge of the forecasting room.
THE Investigations were under
taken soon after Marconi began his
studies of wireless telegraphy, in
1885," Calvert said. ut was fore
seen that this form of communica-
ton presented a field of opportun-
ity in meteorology in securing cur
rent weather information from In
accessible places and from ships,
the providing of storm warnings to
vessels at sea and experimenting or
replacing the Weather Bureau sys-
tenn Of collecting weather reports by
telegraph and cable.
Radio Long Used.
Radio has been utilized contin-
more than twenty years, and it
now plays a large and indispens-
able part in the bureaus activities"
Accurate. long forecasting will
never be possible until the entire
northern hemisphere is dotted with
radio stations, according to Cal
vert; and even then, he pointed
out, it is questionable to what de-
gree Of accuracy predictions may
be made over thirty-six hours in
advance.
There are now millions of un-
charted square miles out beyond
the jurisdiction of civilization
where weather may originate
without the knowledge of the
weather bureaus of the various ma
tons of the world. A few stations
already dot the American far north,
in Alaska, the Hudson Bay region
Of Canada, and on the islands off
the coast, such as Greenland and
Iceland.
In Northern Europe a few sta.
tons daily flash weather condi-
tons southwark to be relayed
around the world. Little is known
Of the Northern Siberian wastes
and of the great spaces between
the northern borders of America,
Europe, Asia and the polar re-
gions.
Needs Long Study.
Calvert said that not only the in.
formation of conditions in these
vast territories must be obtained
daily, but that the action Of
weather there must be studied
over long periods to determine
show it acts" under every possible
circumstance.
A glance at the daily map in the
weather Bureau discloses q wide
" varied set of conditions in even
the limited charted areas. A tor
nado may originate on the south
ernf coast Of the United States;
cyclone in Kansas; a blizzard in
Montana; a warm wave through
out the mid-Atlantic section. As
Well as a cold wave may sweep
down from Greenland
To forecast the weather the bu-
reaus experts must know the
habits OF these irregularities; how
the tornado usually conducts it
SER In which direction the
cyclone VIII go and whether the
montana blizzard win be neutral
zed In the midwest by the warm
winds from the Gulf Stream.
That is the Weather Bureau's
daily problem.
The first radiogram, received by
the Weather Bureau Containing a
weather observation taken on
ship in the Atlantic was from the
y. s. New York, on December 8.
1907" Calvert said. I'm 1906 the
vessel weather service was estab-
hshed as a distinct project. The
masters Of about fifty vessels agreed
TO take observations daily and for
ward them by radio to Washington.
At the present time, practically all
ships on the high seas make daily
observations and forward them to
the Weather Bureau"
Canada Will Aid.
Arrangements are being made by
the Canadian government to estab-
hsh radio stations in the Mackenzie
river region primarily for the pur-
pose of obtaining meteorological re-
ports. These will be made available
to the United States Weather Bu-
reau.
1T is apparent 4H"+ meteorology
will advance hand in hand with
radio" Calvert declared. There
must be close. undisturbed contact
between the agencies engaged in
meteorological and radio activities.
The crying need of meteorology
is more information from ships and
from inaccessible places, and espe-
cialIy from the areas in and about
the polar regions.
"Meteorology is essentially an in
ternationaI science. Weather has no
national allegiance"
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