The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-15
LABORATORY
AND SHOP
BY DAVID RAMSEY
A New Weather System

A New Weather System
This month witnessed the intro
duetion Of a new system Of weather
forecasting in the United States.
It is called "air-mass analysis" and
is believed to be an unusually ac-
curate method for predicting
weather changes.
The method of air-mass analysis
was first employed by Norwegian
weather forecasters during the war
when the network of weather re-
porting stations from other Euro
pean countries broke down. The
fisheries of the peninsula were de-
pendent upon some sort Of weather
prediction. To satisfy their needs,
this method of gauging climatic
changes by vertical rather than
horizontal observatories was devel-
oped.
Air-mass analysis deals with the
great air masses which move in
fairly regular directions. Appa-
rently the major changes in weather
are due to interaction of air masses
Of polar and tropical origin. The
air masses are formed by the earth's
air circulation system, and are from
one to eight miles high and from
500 to 5000 miles wide Although
they sometimes move north and
south, their prevailing movement is
eastward. The earth in rotating
from west to east gives them a sort
of boot in this direction.
Accurate weather analysis de-
Ponds upon knowledge of the char
aeteristics Of these air masses and
especially upon their point of inter-
action. When the meterorologist
knows what they are like and where
they will run into each other, then
he can forecast weather changes
with high degree of accuracy.
The old system Of weather fore
casting provided only for predic-
ton at ground level The new
method gives a vertical as well as
horizontal picture of the weather,
thus providing invaluable data for
airplane travel.
National air-mass analysis takes
reports from weather bureau sta
tons, and from Soviet, Canadian
and Mexican stations. These re-
port the speed and direction of the
aim masses which are moving over
them, and other essential facts. On
the basis of these reports which
tell the sizes and shapes of the air
masses, the central weather bu-
reaus make their forecast. And
according to government experts,
their forecasts are correct to
hitherto unbelievable degree.
THE Importance of this new
method for transportation, farm
ing and industry, if it is as success
full as its sponsors claim, Is incalcul-
able when you consider the i'm
portanee of weather conditions. But
1t is significant that this method,
which could do so much for man
kind, and which to a considerable
degree depends upon the interna-
tional cooperation of experts, has
from its initial stages been inextric-
ably bound up with war and war
preparations.
The aerologists Of the U. s. Navy
have been using this method for
some time, especially the dirigibles
of the lighter-than-a division.
They were interested in air-mass
analysis chiefly because in time of
war the big airships would be de-
prived of reports from the ground
observation stations for fear Of re-
vealing their own position to the
enemy. Therefore, there was the
need for weather forecasting from
their own isolated, vertical observa-
tons.
1t is known that the Akron very
definitely had some experience with
air-maSs analysis at the time that
it was destroyed in a storm. The
inquest brought out the fact that
the airShip's own aerologist had
forecast the storm correctly. The
crew was lost because the COM
handing officer insisted that the
ship could ride out the storm.
With further refinements the
method became so valuable to the
fighting services that the Boston
Herald has revealed that it
was seen by the Navy as
perhaps the most important
addition to the Nays fight
ing power since the advent of
modern scientific gunnery Naval
officers wished air-mass analysis to