KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY 61 



PERSONNEL 



No change has occurred in the regular personnel. Temporary com- 

 puters under Koebling grants have been employed, including the 

 Misses L. B. Simpson and Frances Holly, Mrs. F. E. Fowle, and E. S. 

 Chappell, Jr. 



SUMMARY 



Regular observations of the solar constant of radiation have been 

 continued daily when possible at Table Mountain, Calif., Monte- 

 zuma, Chile, and Mount St. Katherine, Egypt. Improvements in 

 instrumental equipment and in methods have been made tending to 

 increase the accuracy of the daily results. Reductions almost com- 

 pleted, including tables required in future reductions, have been com- 

 puted for Mount St. Katherine. They seem to indicate that the sta- 

 tion will be nearly, if not quite, on a par with our best station, 

 Montezuma. Through the generosity of John A. Roebling, it is ar- 

 ranged to continue the Mount St. Katherine station to 1938. Analy- 

 sis of solar variation since 1920 has revealed 12 periodicities, all 

 approximately aliquot parts of 23 years. Their summation repro- 

 duces the entire solar variation to an average agreement within % 

 of 1 percent. These 12 periodicities, with three more not as yet 

 found in solar variation, but all approximately aliquot parts of 23 

 years, are found in temperature and precipitation records for six 

 terrestrial stations for the past century. Inversions and changes of 

 phase occur, but these are found to take place at integral multiples 

 of 111/2 years measured from 1819. The 23-year cycle, which Hale 

 found in the magnetic polarity of sun spots, is found in the levels 

 of lakes and streams, the widths of tree-rings, the catches of ocean 

 fish, varves of Pleistocene and Eocene geologic age, and other phe- 

 nomena depending on weather. Numerous repetitive identifiable 

 features occur in temperature and precipitation within each 23-year 

 cycle. Forecasts of both elements for 1934, 1935, and 1936 for over 

 30 stations in the United States have been made. Satisfactory agree- 

 ment between forecasts and the events have been found for about 

 two-thirds of the stations during 1934. It has not been deemed wise 

 to publish the forecasts until further tested. 



Respectfully submitted. 



C. G. Abbot, Director. 



The Secretary, 



Smithsonian Institution. 



