Evening star., 1947-08-13
Stars, Men and Atoms
World Weather Chorted
Here Every Six Hours
Army, Navy Teletype Networks
Converted to Civilian Use
BY Thomas r. Henry

y
Every six hours a nearly complete weather
chart of the world is spread out before
Weather Bureau forecasters in Washington.
This is possible because Of two great radio
teletype networks set up by the Army and
Navy during the war; which now have been
converted to civilian use.
One Of these networks extends from New
York to Paris by way of the Azores. At Paris
it is geared to land telegraph lines extending
to every country in Europe and North Africa.
1t then comes back to New York by way of
Ireland and Newfoundland. The second,
starting from San Francisco, spreads like
spider web over all the Pacific and Far East
The center Of the web is Honolulu with
branch lines extending to Australia. the
Philippines, Japan, China and Korea.
From 1000 Stations.
BY means Of this network reports are re-
ceived every six hours from more than 1000
stations scattered at strategic points over the
globe. AL reports are In code for the sake
of brevity and to avoid necessity of transla-
tion from foreign languages. Code messages
consist of Is figures, each of which tells some
important fact about the weather at the sta
-tion from which it is sent Lack of an en-
tirely uniform code throughout the world is a
major drawback to the value Of the network
at present and will be one of the chief prob
lens considered at meetings of the Interna-
tional Meteorological Union now in session in
Toronto, which will hold its chief assembly
In Washington in September. Weather ex-
perts Of 86 nations are taking part In the
discussions.
The value Of this network, Weather Bureau
ofncials here say, hardly can be overestimated.
The science Of forecasting weather by tradi-
tional methods depends on availability Of as
great mass OF simultaneous observations,
gathered from as great an extent of the earth,
as possibly can be obtained. The first symp-
toms Of storm In the United States may be
found in observations made in North Africa.
In the past reports have been relatively chaotic,
consisting of observations taken at different
times and transmitted at odd intervals
The teletype network, with its own exclusive
wave lengths, Is busy "a hours day. It's func-
tioning is expected to be greatly improved after
the international conference, when whatever
bugs" that have developed in the past few
months will be eliminated. 1t is designed
chiefly to cover the Northern Hemisphere, al
through many reports come into the circuit
from south of the Equator. At present there
mean little for weather forecasting in the
sharp dividing line between the two gre t
weather systems of the world and no clear
connections yet have been established.
Reports From Russia.
OF particular significance for American foe
casting are the reports received from E,ssa
especially from new observatories set up in
Northern Siberia where, it now has been este
lished, great many winter storms which sweep
over North America are born.
Among the projects to be pressed by the
American delegation at Toronto will te the
re-establishment Of an International Polar
Weather Commission for setting up more ste-
tions, linked with the network, in the Arctic
Basin.r .... ..
All United States observations are shot back
over the teletype for the benefit of the CO.,
operating foreign countries The dividends in
more accurate forecasts soon should be appar-
ert, Weather Bureau experts say.