Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-04

data Tor distribution, It's still
too early in the lS-month In
ternational Geophysical Year
period which began July. l.,
1857, for comprehensive results
to become available. The same
is true for meteorology with its
far-fiung network Of regular
and special observation sta
tons.
But It Is obvious from the
discussions at the Moscow
meeting Of the special commit
tee for ICY. that the ICY pc
Rod has begun q new era of
international cooperation in
oceanography and meteorology.
New Tools Used
And many new tools have
been perfected. One Of these is
the swallow float developed in
Great Britain. This is a device
which viii float and may be
tracked at a fixed ocean depth
giving direct current measure
ments. With 1t has been de-
tected a reverse fiow under the
Gulf Stream Of comparable
speed.
Another most important de-
vice Is an accurate indicator of
ocean salt content, using the
electrical conductivity Of sea
water as a basis. In meteorol-
ogy, instruments carried by
rockets and satellites open up
great new possibilities.
Seek Simultaneous Data
One Of the main efforts Of
ICY has been to obtain weather
and ocean data over the whole
earth on a simultaneous time
basis. In working toward this
objective, meterologists have for
the first time produced daily
weather maps of the Antarctic
and prepared weather forecasts
from them. There are some 81
observing stations in this area
Of ICY An unprecedented
event in polar research.
The difficulties of describing
the oceans on a simultaneous
time basis seem almost insur-
mountable. In the past, data
from many decades often we're
combined to give q picture Of
conditions in a given area. The
systematic work Of the ICY
provides one fairly comprehend
sive picture in a single year,
Good indications have thus
been obtained that the signifi-
cant features Of the ocean tenn
perature. its. circulation. and
other characteristics do vary
from year to year. Such
changes have effects upon
world climate, food supply and
navigation.
In some specific areas, nota-
bly, the North and Northeast
Atlantic, more intensive inves-
legations were carried on. In
this case many countries, work.
ing through the International
Council for Exploration of the
Sea, were able to define much
more closely the general posi-
ton and variability of the polar
front-the southern boundary
Of a cold water mass which
greatly influences the entire
ocean circulation.
Earth's Heat Budget"
+. Another group of ICY studies
In oceanography and meteor
ology is related to the heat
budget of the earth. This is
the mechanism by which solar
radiation is received. absorbed.
stored and emitted from the
oceans and the atmosphere. 1t
is the basis Of the worlds
weather and climate.
During ICY, oceanographers
have been measuring ternpera-
ture and related variables at
all depths to the ocean floor in
an effort to trace more fully
the movements of the masses
which are the earth's great
storehouses of heat. (These
movements have many other
kinds of significance, such as
in the disposal of radioactive
waste materials.) Z
Meteorologists have been
making special efforts to at
tain greater and greater alti-
tudes with their sounding bal
looms, and have added to the
normal 6O-S0.000 feet heights,
some 10000 feet of altitude
with temperature information.
They have used rockets and