Evening star., 1936-08-16
BY HARLAN T. STETSON,


BY HARLAN T. STETSON,
Author of Man and Stars"
~ I'D you draw lucky number
for your vacation weather
this Summer? Whether you
- 20 to the mountains or sea-
shore, sail boat. camp or tour across
country, weather is the all-important
problem. Not only to vacationists-
those who stand by business and agri-
cultural enterprises are perhaps even
more concerned. If your commission
depends upon the sale Of umbrellas.
clothing, gasoline, ice cream or any
of a multitude of other articles, your
prosperity is acutely affected by the
caprices of the earth's atmosphere.
That old saying. often attributed to
Mark Twain, that Everybody talks
about the weather, but nobody does
much about it," is fast becoming OBJ
solete. For today new and concerted
attacks are being made on the problem
of long-range weather forecasting
The Department of Agriculture at
Washington Is definitely sponsoring
new investigations in this direction.
The cause of long-period changes of
weather, which some day may be fore
cast weeks. and perhaps months, in
advance, is being searched for in di-
rections never before attempted.
Meteorologists are beginning to see
that before we can know more about
what is going to happen on the sur
face of the earth we must find out
what is happening in the upper at
mosphere, far above the regions where
the clouds betray the formation of
moisture and snow. For the air cir
culates up and down as we'll as
around and around. The sun, which,
after all, is the real weather breeder,
shines eternally at the top of the
earth's atmosphere. Here the effects
of its radiation may first begin.
Seek Atmosphere Secrets.
To explore the first 20 miles up into
the atmosphere of the earth is, there
fore, the new problem which confronts
meteorologists. The wealth of farm
ers, the amount of bank clearings and
dividends from industrial corporations
next year may depend quite as much
upon what is doing in the atmosphere
as upon the results of the presidential
campaign.
The important scientific results OBJ
tanned by Capt. Albert w. Stevens and
his co-workers in the flight of the
Explorer II offer new inducements
for high-altitude ventures. Daily
communication with the stratosphere
Is now the ambition of the latest
school TO prospectors Of the weather.
1t appears that one of the difficulties
in observing weather on the earth's
surface is that we have too much of
it.. The constant agitation of the
lower atmosphere with storms. clouds
and rain seriously interferes with the
important task Of measuring varia-
tions In the light and heat from the
sun.
Then. there Is that troublesome
ozone layer at the top Of the at
mosphere, which screens off much
of the suns radiation. Results of the
flight of the Explorer II indicate that
much of this ozone may lie nearer the
earth's surface than scientists here
tofore supposed. Actual measure
ments. Capt. Stevens tells me, reveal
that at his record height of 1885
feet 20 per cent of the ozone was be-
meath him. What appears to be
needed are weather stations in the
where the sun perpet-
ually shines and the clouds Of even
fair weather hover far beneath.
Balloons Provide Data.
To be of much value, observations
in the stratosphere ought to be made
every day. No explorer, however, is
going to volunteer his services for
daily trips on such venture, and the
cost itself would be prohibitive. Since
we must have daily observations from
the stratosphere. necessity is appar-
emily already giving birth to a new
Observation-Disclosures weather bureaus
attached to balloons that can be sent
aloft on more or less definite sched-
ule.
The idea of exploring the upper at
mosphere by small balloons carrying
meteorological instruments was sug-
gested as early as 1909. Hermite was
the first to attempt it. In the Spring
Of 1893 height of 16 kilometers, or a
little less than 10 miles, was attained.
But the trouble with sending meteor
illogical instruments up in balloons is
that the balloons are blown by the
winds and frequently fall in isolated
or desert places or in the ocean, and
valuable records are totally lost.
Therefore, how to send up a weather
station that can be in constant COM
munication with the earth so that the
records Of its flight, the temperature
Of the air, moisture and the barometric
pressure can all be recorded, even
though the balloons with their scien-
tific instruments are blown to the
seven winds-this has been tn, prob
lem. Now science is finding the solu-
ton Of the problem in a brand-new
called the radio-meteor-
graph. 1t is a combined meteorological
laboratory and radio station In minia-
ture.
Reports Are Perpetual.
Just imagine complete weather
bureau equipped with barometer, hy-
grometer and thermometer, together
with radio outfit, operator and time
piece attached, altogether weighing
scarcely more than q poundl These
weather laboratories have actually
been built during the last few months
and were recently sent up more than
20 miles at the Blue Hill Observatory
in Milton, Mass. Continuous records
Of the various atmospheric conditions
sent out from this tiny outfit With its