Evening star., 1955-11-20
GeophysicoI Year to Probe
Natures Guorded Secrets

that significant isolated discoveries
will be made Of great value to man.
kind. We do not. Of course, know
what they will be. but that Is the
nature Of research into the url-
known"
AS part Of the American effort,
man-made satellite will be fired into
space to orbit around the planet 200
to 800 miles UP. where it will meas
ure the density and composition OF
the air, check the distances between
continents, measure the ultraYio-
let ray emanations from the sun
and broadcast all this information
back to the earth.
For man this is a long step. He
has studied the stars for centuries
and wondered wistfully at the size
and shape Of the universe. It Is not
inconceivable that one day he will
find out. This satellite may be
mans first rung on the ladder to the
stars.
But before he mounts the ladder,
man has an awful lot of questions.
Once scientists believed that an
electrical impulse fired parallel to
the horizon would travel in q
straight line until it disappeared
into space. Then came Marconi
and his wireless. Something in the
atmosphere bent the impulse back
to earth.
Scientists now know that the
something" is the ionosphere, con-
sistirg of four layers some so to
$50 miles above the ground. It Is
an electrically charged atmosphef-
ic blanket caused by ultraviolet
ray radiation from the sun.
The tonosphere responds to
changes In the sun as tides on
earth do to the moon though not
nearly with the same regularity.
Occasionally great explosions are
noticed on the face of the sun
sun spots-and the ionosphere be-
comes supercharged. Ordinary ra-
dios black out. Sometimes, though.
low power short wave broadcasts
are carried around the world.
Huge Electric Storms
But that is not all. These elec-
trical storms chu1n the ionosphere
as winds do the seas. Air currents
around the globe are affected and
thus, the weather. The scientists
would like to know about what goes
on in these storms. c
The scientists already know that
the earth's major magnetic field
originates inside the earth and
somehow is connected with the
earth's rotation. They believe the
magnetic field is generated by the
tIlmbling action Of the earths liq-
uid core inside the crust, much in
the same manner as a dynamo.
The magnetic field also has Q
variable part caused by the electric
currents in the atmosphere.
Further. the scientists have pret-
ty good evidence from ancient.
magnetized bearing rocks that
at some time in the past the earth's
magnetic fields wandered consider
ably. Even now the magnetic pole
seems to be moving westward.
When Henry Hudson visited ths
Canadian bay. now named after
him. in the t7th century, he climbed
a snoWbank and recorded his ar
rival on q rock. That rock now
stands so feet IN the air.
Could 1t be that the earth is
growing warmer? White birch are
dying out in New England appar-
entity because the climate is be-
coming too hot.
n Glaciers Melt =.
So what? Well, the worlds gla-
ciers are estimated to contain be-
tween 2.5 million to 6 million cubic
miles Of water. Suppose the earth
Is going through another cycle and
is becoming warmer?
II all the present ice melted, the
oceans would rise SIS to 200 feet.
New York City would be under
water, probably almost all Of Eng
land. The effect upon climate
would be tncalculable.
Scientists have discovered that
the continents and oceans rest upon
different foundations; that beneath
the oceans are silica magnesium
rocks of great density whereas the
continents stand upon the much
lighter silica -aluInina rock.
This is. Of course, q. generalization
for there are areas where both con-
ditions exist and which cannot be
classified as strictly continental or
strictly oceanic. These are the is
land archipelagoes such as the West
Indies and Japan. It could be that
they are continents In formation.
How the continents came to b
formed Of lighter material is one
Of sciences great mysteries and ID
the subject Of immense speculation.
II it were known, the job Of the
oil prospectors and the geologists
In search of minerals would be
greatly lightened.