Evening star., 1939-02-21
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.


By Thomas r. Henry.
A cumulative increase Of approximate
ly 40 degrees in the mean temperature
Of the world in the past 81 years is re-
vealed in the latest compilation OF
weather records from 400 observing sta
tions scattered all over the habitable
earth by the International Genealogical
Commission, in which the United States
is one Of the participating members.
During the past decade something of
the sort has been observed in different
countries on the basis of local records
which have shown progressively warmer
summers and winters. 1t is now appar-
ent for the entire surface Of the earth.
according to DR.. j. B. Kincer, chief of
the climate division of the United States
Weather Bureau, who has just analyzed
the international statistics reported from
the commissions London office.
For any one year and place, DR.. Kincer
says, the actual increase above the nor
NAL is naturally very small The tenn
perature OF the earth depends entirely
on the heat received from the sun. This
does not vary greatly from year to year
and the distance between the two re-
mains approximately constant. It is
only when the world excesSes of tempera-
ture for each month are added that the
relatively enormous accumulation an
pears.
so long as the warmer years were local
phenomena it was possible to attribute
them to various local causes, such as
slight shifts in the course of the Gulf
Stream, or changes in the direction of
air mass movement. This Is no longer
acceptable since 1t is known that the
increase is universal.
This does not mean, Mr.. Kincer
stresses, that the increases in tempera.
ture are equal for all parts of the earth.
Those recorded for North America are
extreme and may be attributed to va
rious causes. One now being investi-
gated is steady shift of the trade winds
across the Atlantic from southeast to
east and OF the prevalent winds in the
Pacific from northeast to east. The
former development apparently means
that the great area of high pressure ex-
tending across the Central Atlantic he
tween MADEIRA and Bermuda, which has
predominant influence on much of the
weather OF the United States east of the
Rockies, is being built up to greater pro-
portions.
But Tor the worldwide phenomenon
Mr.. Kincer says, there is no generally
acceptable explanation. Some have
Claimed that the sun itself has become
slightly hotter, others that the solar
system IN its passage through space has
sailed free of a cosmic dust cloud, others
that an excess of carbon dioxide has been
ouilt up In the air through the burning
OF coal and that this acts as window to
prevent the normal escape of heat.
FOR the past decade he points out, re-
markable changes have been reported
from the Arctic regions. The ice has
steadily retreated northward. Land in
Greenland and Spitzbergen once frozen
al the year now thaws long enough to
permit scant covering of vegetation.
f1sn are found many miles north of their
OLD habitats. Larger patches of bare
ground are seen by explorers. water
temperature is degree or more higher
ana the edge Of the pack ice has moved
about 20 miles further north in summer.
Ine present increase in world tenn
perature, however, appears in both the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres IT
Is well known that in the distant mast
Doth the Arctic and the Antarctic SIM
ported abundant vegetation and pre-
sumaoly had at least temperate cli-
mates. In the past it has been SUD-
posed that they were warm at different.
probably alternating. times.
The increase, Mr.. Kincer's records
show, has been for all seasons Of the
year. There has been no balancing of
cooler summers against warmer winters
There is considerable evidence that
climate varies in irregular and appar-
entity unpredictable cycles, Mr.. Kincer
says. Before the present rise in world
temperatures there was q long period
OF steady decline when, at least so far as
can be determined from records for tho
United States, there was steady cumu-
lative decline. All seasons were below
normal nearly every year, which iusti-
nes some of the stories of "old-fashioned
winters" There is high probability.
the climatologist believes, that sooner or
later the temperature will slip back To