Evening star., 1948-09-01
Stars, Men and Atoms
Arctic Weather Reports
By Storm Rangers Urqed
Explorer Hobbs Says Present System
Gives False Picture of Conditions
BY Thomas r. Henry

Storm rangers patrolling the Arctic Ocean
and Greenland with dog teams or motor
sedges are urged by DR.. William H. Hobbs,
veteran Arctic explorer Of the University Of
Michigan
The elaborate network Of fixed weather
ooservatories now maintained jointly by ths
United States Canadian and Danish govern.
ments in Greenland and the islands of the
Canadian archipelago are giving a false pic
ture OF conditions in the Arctic basin which Is
supposed to be the cradle Of storms, DR.. Hobbs
says in report to the American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
He proposes one or two man parties of
meteorologists tightly equipped and travelling
rapidly across country Several times each day
such meteorologist will halt, with q walkie-
talkle report his position and send q weather
report. Every few days he will acquire a fresh
supply of food and fuel. delivered to him or
cached for his use, either by submarine air.
plane or truck.
Precision Superfuous
I'm his weather report essential accuracy
Will take the place of unnecessary precision.
Tor weather can vary so rapidly in both time
and place that refined precision seems to
be superfuous. Location of the stations in
this system would change frequently. but IL
there were enough parties and their routes had
been well laid out. there would be coverage for
daily weather chart
The picture of the Arctic given by weather
men, DR.. Hobbs says, differs greatly from that
OF explorers. The former improvisng from
few observations, have described the Arctic
basin as place of accumulating cold air and
turbulent winds, building UP and moving in
various directions to sweep southwark over the
continents. Yet without exception DR.. Hobbs
says, the explorers who have traversed the
region on foot report it essentially MINDLESS all
the year.
The greater North Pole High which has be-
come almost matter of religion with meteorol-
oglsts appears to be myth, DR. Hobbs insists.
On the other hand, he says there is con-
slant building up of cold air over the high
center OF the Greenland ice cap with hurricane
force winds constantly blowing towards the
coast. The direction of these winds at any
point is almost a certain indication of the di-
rectlon OF the nearest coast line
DR.. Hobbs warmly disputes recent publica-
tionS on Arctic weather issued by the Weather
Bureau.
There are "high blood pressure counties"
Six of these, all in the South, are reported
by tie Public Health Service
They were found by Government statsticians
Iii analysis of the data gathered in the physical
examinations required of all applicants for
loans from the Farm Security Administration.
In three OF these counties the men show sig
nlicantly higher readings than the average for
the United States. In the other three ths
difference is notable only for women.
Loan applicants were mostly poor farmers,
Throughout the South, 1t was found, blood pres.
sure was significantly higher among men over
45 than in the rest of the country. This is in
striking contradiction to findings with other
groups, such as life insurance applicants, where
it has not been possible to detect any change
due to climate or altitude 1t is the reverse
OF the findings among army officers In the
tropics, who showed slightly lower blood pres
sure than the average.
High blood pressure with its attendant heart
maladies, sometimes has been attributed to the
fast pace of living. The survey findings give
little support to this. Poor farmers for the
country as whole showed about the same
averages for the same age groups as the faster
living city population. Among the poor rural
population under 30 there was a considerably
greater incidence of heart disease. This is
probably due, the statisticians believe, to a
greater incidence Of rheumatic fever in child
hood.
For the abnormally high counties no explana-
ton is offered. If the cause of the higher rate
can be found. 1t may offer clue to the basic
causes OF high blood pressure the world over.