notes, short biographical sketches of the early pioneers and distinguished co-operative observers; some interesting notes, chronologically arranged, on important weather events of the past 100 years or more; and a brief statement of Ohio's part in the development of the daily weather map, etc." Our Climate. Prepared by JAMES H. SPENCER, meteorologist, Baltimore, Md., issued by the Maryland State Weather Service in co-operation with the United States Weather Bureau. Second edition, enlarged October, 1924. "Contains Useful Information regarding the climate between the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic Coast, with special reference to Maryland and Delaware." Sent free of expense to educators, public libraries, farmers and all business and professional men who can make use of it in Maryland and Delaware. The people of Maryland and Delaware are fortunate in having a state weather service that can co-operate so effectively with the U. S. Weather Bureau. (Cf. State Co-operation in Maryland, in June-July, 1924, BULLETIN, pp. 92-94). La Meteorologia Practica, a review of meterology in its various applications, aeronautic, agricultural, engineering, maritime, radiotelegraphic, etc., and of seismology, has contained a large number of articles on these subjects during the first four years of its existence. This publication is issued five times a year by the Osservatorio di Montecassino, D. Bernardo M. Paoloni, Director. On general meteorology, especially forecasting, there are 32 articles. The interest of Italians in aeronautics is shown by the 25 articles which discuss the meteorological phases of this subject. Prominent among these is a three-part discussion of meteorology and aerial navigation, in which are considered the influence of the air itself, the business of the meteorologist, and the task of the aeronaut. Agricultural meteorology, with 12 articles, also occupies a big place in this publication, while in 13 other articles radio telegraphic and atmospheric electric matters are discussed. Considerable importance seems to be attached to health meteorology, 16 articles being given over to this subject, while many more are forthcoming. Pluviometry and commercial and industrial meteorology each are discussed in 3 articles, forest meteorology in 2, maritime meteorology and history in one each, and seismology in 6.—E. C. Horton. Forecasting Weather. SIR NAPIER SHAW. 2nd ed., revised and enlarged. pp. xliii + 594, including 226 maps, charts and diagrams. London: Constable & Co., Ltd., 1923. 36s net. (Lowest U. S. price, $10.10). (Reviewed in Nature [London], Feb. 2, 1924, pp. 151-152). Those who are familiar with Shaw's first edition will realize what sort of a book this monumental work on weather forecasting is. This volume is more than meteorology as applied in forecasting, it includes many chapters on meteorological subjects aside from their immediate applications, e. g., clouds, the relation of wind to barometric pressure, the physical processes of weather, life history of surface air currents, the structure of traveling cyclones, the minor fluctuations of pressure-line squalls and lignes de grain, anticyclones, fine weather and droughts, sea fogs, warm water fogs and thunderstorms. In other words, the book is a modern treatise on dynamical meteorology and its applications. The wealth of illustrations is notable.-C. F. B. A new list of the Fellows of the Royal Meteorological Society, published this year, shows a total membership of 833, of which 12 are honorary members and 187 life fellows. Some 21 of these reside in the United States, 2 in Canada, 1 in Mexico, and 3 in South America. The officers of the Society include 1 president, 4 vice-presidents, 1 treasurer, 3 secretaries, 1 foreign secretary, 12 councilors, and 1 assistant secretary. The Royal Meteorological Society's Bibliography of Meteorological Literature, is one of the most serviceable meteorological publications issued. The fifth issue of 25 pages, includes the literature received from January to June, 1923, arranged alphabetically by authors by subjects. The subdivisions are as follows: Biographical notices, general meteorology, methods of observation and computation, observatories and stations, instruments, physics of the atmosphere, investigations of the upper atmosphere, cosmical relations, optical phenomena, atmospheric pressure, temperature, solar radiation, aqueous vapour and cloud, rain, solid precipitates, hydrology, wind, cyclones, storms and anticyclones, atmospheric electricity, climatology, weather forecasting, meteorological observations, terrestrial magnetism. This semi-annual bibliography is prepared by the Society with the collaboration of the British Meteorological Office. CO-OPERATIVE OBSERVERS' DEPARTMENT Voluntary Weather Observer Resigns After 48 Years Were it not for the voluntary co-operation of many weather observers, whose services are entirely without remuneration, the gathering from all over the country of the weather information on which climatological data are based would cost the Federal Government many thousands of dollars, or, in the event of funds being unavailable, this work could not go on. Appreciation of the part played by voluntary weather observers is shown in the following extract from a letter by Prof. C. F. Marvin, Chief of the Weather Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture, addressed to William A. Cook, of Washington, Iowa, who has just relinquished his duties as a co-operative observer after many years: "In examining the weather record for your city, it appears that you took up this work in August, 1876, when the Iowa weather service was first organized under the esteemed Professor Hinrichs, and that with but a short interruption in 1880 and 1881 you have reported regularly to the present time, a period of nearly 50 years. This is indeed a record of service, rendered free of charge, for the public benefit that has been equaled by few in the history of the Government Weather Service, and one in which you may well take a great personal pride. The observations you have so faithfully recorded have formed the basis for establishing the major facts concerning the climate of your locality, and the Weather Bureau is indebted greatly to the men and women scattered over all parts of the country who, like yourself, have furnished the material that has permitted the presentation to an interested public of exact facts concerning the greatly diversified weather of every part of our country."—Clip Sheet, U. S. Dept. Agric., Oct. 6, 1924. Co-operative Observers in Tennessee During the 41 years of existence of the climatological service of Tennessee, several hundred people have contributed their services as voluntary observers. The Weather Bureau has supplied the instruments and all other equipment, but the observations have been furnished by the co-operative observers. Of the present observers, Mr. Samuel G. Wilson has served for 30 years; 11 observers from 20 to 29 years; 12 from 10 to 20 years; 10 from 5 to 10 years; and 33 from 0 to 5 years. Of former observers, J. H. Burrows served 31 years; 11 have served from 20 to 29 years; 36 from 10 to 20 years; and 214 from 1 to 5 years. -Weather Bureau Office, Nashville, Tenn. June, 1924, Stormy in Illinois The local storms that occur during a single month usually affect only a small portion of the area of the state so far as loss of life and damage to property are concerned. June, however, proved the exception to the rule. In his nineteen-years' connection with the Illinois climatological service the writer does not recall so many damaging local storms in a single month. They occurred on sixteen days, and were reported from one-half of the counties, fifty-one in all. They were most numerous in the northwest quarter of the state. No doubt there were other counties in which disturbances occurred that were not reported to the section center. In all 18 persons were killed (2 of them Meisinger and Neely) and I the property loss probably exceeded $2,000,000.-Clarence J. Root, in Climatological Data: Illinois Section, June, 1924, p. 24a. The Monthly Weather Review for June, 1924, shows that the stormy weather extended over a larger area than Illinois. Frequent and locally excessive precipitation and generally cloudy weather occurred over much of the Missouri, upper Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Illinois had 15 severe local hail and wind storms during the month; Iowa had 11; Kansas and Nebraska 7 each; Missouri and Ohio 5; Indiana 3; Wis'consin and Michigan 2. In July, however, the number of such storms in Illinois declined greatly, while the surrounding states were about as hard hit as they had been in June.-F. V. T. Two Million Dollar Lightning Stroke Lightning striking a 55,000-barrel crude-oil tank caused a $2,000,000 fire to sweep the tank farms of the Associated and Standard Oil Companies and the adjacent waterfront between Monterey and Pacific Grove, California, Sept. 14-15, 1924. This fire covered about twenty acres and was not put under control until it had burned for over twenty-four hours. During this time two fire fighters were killed, and at least thirty others were burned.-N. Y. World, Sept. 16, 1924. A Million Dollar Hailstorm "As a result of one of the worst hail storms in the history of New England, on August 7, claims for hail insurance have been made by about one-fourth of the members of the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Association, Hartford, Conn. Hail fell unaccompanied by rain and ruined or badly damaged some 5,000 acres of tobacco belonging to the association's members. Numerous tobacco sheds were wrecked by the storm. "Hail insurance to the amount of $300 an acre had been arranged by the association, and losses amounting to $850,000 had been adjusted at last reports. -Agric. Co-operation, vol. 2, p. 308, Sept. 22, 1924. (Issued by U. S. D. A., Bur. of Agric. Ec., Wash., D. C.) Hail Insurance Pays-"Hail Rods" Are Worthless The Weather Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture is frequently asked whether there is any known method of preventing hailstorms. The answer is emphatically negative. Many million dollars' worth of ammunition has been expended in Europe in bombarding the clouds for the purpose of averting hailstorms. Quite an elaborate technique has been developed, entailing the use of special types of mortars, bombs, and rockets. Shortly before the World War the practice prevailed widely in France of erecting hail rods, or so-called "electric Niagaras.' These were, essentially, large copper lightning rods installed on high buildings or on steel towers especially constructed for the purpose. In the early part of the nineteenth century smaller hail rods, consisting of metal-tipped poles, were set up in European fields, vineyards, etc., on a very extensive scale. None of these expedients ever had any plausible scientific hypothesis back of it, and the merits popularly ascribed to them were undoubtedly wholly imaginary. It is understood that the popularity of these practices has greatly declined in recent years. The only protection the farmer has against damage to his exposed crops from hail is hail insurance. This form of insurance has been practiced on a large scale in Europe for more than a century and in recent years has made rapid progress in this country.-Clip Sheet, U. S. Dept. Agric., Sept. 29, 1924. MINUTES OF THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEETING Some Climatic Features of Arizona By ROBERT Q. GRANT Dr. Douglass having returned and resumed his place as Chairman, he called on Mr. Robert Q. Grant, Meteorologist, Weather Bureau, Phoenix, Ariz., for his paper on "Some Climatic Features of Arizona." Mr. Grant discussed his subject from the standpoint of the high temperature, low humidity, sunshine, precipitation, dust storms, and other features which characterize the climate of Arizona, and pointed out how these are based on controlling factors of topography, proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and movements of continental and oceanic pressure areas. Building Construction vs. High Temperatures In commenting on the high temperatures that prevail in Arizona, as indicated in Mr. Grant's paper, the Chairman called attention to the fact that the effect of these can be minimized by a proper designing and construction of buildings. He stated that in experiments along this line he has demonstrated that by the use of an insulated roof the temperature of the room underneath can be lowered 10° F., on hot days, from what it would be without a specially designed roof. Mr. Wells stated that there is no question that architects do not give sufficient weight to prevailing climatic conditions in the designing of buildings, and suggested that the American Meteorological Society might be of service in bringing this fact to the attention of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Lastreto concurred in this, and Mr. H. F. Alps stated the consultation of climatic records by architects might well be undertaken in the designing of office buildings as well as dwellings. Dr. Manson ventured the assertion that if engineers could design a railway passenger coach that would protect the traveler from the ex cessive heat of desert regions, they would render a great service to suffering humanity. In commenting further on the suggestion that meteorologists collaborate with architects in planning buildings according to climatic conditions, Mr. Lastreto said: "In addition to instructing the public on the best method to close windows of dwellings while the interior is cool, to exclude the rising heat outside, it might be advisable to teach them, also, that window glass is opaque to dark heat rays, such as are radiated from a heated surface, for example, a porch, a sidewalk, or a roadway, or even to heat re flected from such surfaces. If the windows that are exposed to such hot surfaces be closed at least to the extent that the glass panes could screen them off from the interior, considerable heat would be excluded from within the building.' Upon motion of Mr. Wells, the following motion was adopted: Resolved that the American Meteorological Society suggest to the American Institute of Architects the advisability of giving greater attention in the designing of buildings to the climate of the localities in which they are to be erected, with the object of giving better protection against those features of local climate for which protection is most needed. Seasonal Densities and Storage of Snowfall (To be published in the Monthly Weather Review) The Chairman then called upon Mr. H. F. Alps, Meteorologist, Weather Bureau, Reno, Nev., for a paper on "Seasonal Densities and Storage of Snowfall," of which the following is the author's abstract: "Density measurements of the snow cover by foot layers for five consecutive seasons were made at Summit, California. The investigation proved that there is lack of uniformity in density in different layers of deep snow, due to weather conditions during the accumulation of the snow cover. In the interval between storms, icy crusts of varying thickness and density are invariably formed. It was proved that the Wengler formula is not accurate for deep snow covers, as the density of lower layers bears no constant relation to the density of the top layer. "Average density for the whole snow cover for the five years ranged from 32 in winter to 54 in May." In the discussion following the reading of the paper, Mr. Grant called attention to the fact that a vast amount of work is required in the preparation of a paper such as had been read by Mr. Alps. A snow survey is at best a strenuous job. Commenting on the paper, Dr. Manson said that in the winter wheat region it has been observed that a layer of snow, covering a thin layer of ice, may permit certain wave lengths of the solar beam to penetrate both coverings, to be intercepted by the dark soil underneath, which is thereby thawed to a depth of several inches. The wheat is thus found to be green and growing between the layer of ice and the snow above and the frozen soil and water below. It has been noted, also, he said, that small rodents in the Sierra burrow beneath the snow, make a humus and leaf covered gallery, and take a sun bath a foot or more below the snow surface and also eat the sprouting buds in the top layer of dark soil. (To be concluded) |