Evening star., 1950-01-04
Fine Salt Particles Found
In Air Over Quiet Seas
Have Same Role in Ocean Weather
AS Dust Does Over Land
By Thomas r. Henry

By Thomas r. Henry
Extremely fine salt particles fill the air
over quiet seas.
There are about fifteen to twenty of them
per cubic inch. They are so small that their
total weight per cubic inch is only few
trillionths of an ounce
They have about the same role in ocean
weather as fine dust particles over the land.
serving as nuclei for the formation of rain
and fog droplets.
The particles are less than ten thou
sandth Of an inch in diameter, or about q
f1ftieth the diameter Of fine human hair.
Findings Reported.
This is one of the findings in a study Of
ocean meteorology now being conducted for
the Office of Naval Research by personnel OF
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute at
Falmouth, Mass.
Hitherto little has been known of ocean
weather phenomena. The lack became so
obvious during the war that Navy expedi-
tion was sent to Puerto Rico in the spring OF
1916 to make airplane flights over the water
north of the island for the sole purpose of
obtaining fundamental data A lot of in
formation was gathered which now is being
analyzed. It already is apparent, according
to report to the Office of Naval Research
by Patricia A. Langwel, meteorologist of the
Woods Hole staff, that some of the mechan-
isms Of sea weather differ strikingly from
those Of land weather.
Basically, the data show, the lower atmos-
phere over the sea is in three layers The
lowest, about two thousand feet thick, is filled
with the salt particles and it's humidity re-
mains constant throughout. It's thickness
varies from time to time and among the re-
suits of the study is a reliable method of fore.
casting these changes
ofN
The top of this layer represents the base
of most of the clouds. These clouds, which
extend up to 5000 feet are of the cumulus
type. which has a caulifiower- like appear
ance They are much larger than the same
type seen over the United States. The broad
est measured was three miles across. They
commonly appear in patches with broad,
clear spaces between them. AS result some
regions seem to be nearly overcast while
few miles away only scattered clouds appear
on the horizon.
The third layer starts above the tops Of
the clouds and is significant for weather fore
casting Here the air is warmer and dryer
than in the cloud layer and there is a shift
from the east, or trade, wind to the strong
westerly air flow which circles the earth at
higher latitudes.
Fatherless white frogs are throwing new
ilgnC on mecnanlSmS OF nereQlGy
They make possible the study of higher
animals whose inherited characters are de-
rived from a single parent, according to
report to the American Genetic Society by
DIR. Chiyoko Tokunaga of Kyoto University,
Japan. where scientific experimentation Is
getting q new foothold since the war.
DR.. rokunaga was able, he reports, to OBJ
tain frogs of virgin birth by sticking un-
fertilized eggs with needle. Six Of the ten
offspring where white. Such albino animals
are extremely rare in nature.
Color Change Explained.
The mutation Of the frog from the black
tadpole to the green and yellow adult is
believed to be brought about largely by secre-
tions Of the thyroid gland which in turn are
activated by hormones sent out by the pitu-
itary gland. the latter being chiefly respon-
sible for the color change. White animals
hitherto have been produced artificially by
removing the pituitary early in life.
The Japanese scientists virgin birth frogs
underwent the change from tadpoles in es-
sentially normal fashion since their pitui-
taries were functioning normally. Hence
there was demonstrated gene for albinism
which may be quite widespread in the species.
White frogs never appear in nature, how.
ever. unless this gene is present in the germ
plasm of both father and mother which, by
the laws Of chance, seldom would be the case,
DR.. Tokunaga was concerned chiefly in
developing technique by which normal in
d1viduals could be produced without fathers
to complicate their heredity