March 6, 19 19] 



NATURE 



»5 



that operations planned and prepared must be carried 

 out whatever the weather may be, though a good fore- 

 cast may at the last moment enable him to judge 

 whether nearer or more distant objectives are likely to 

 be attained. 



Free discussions and conjectures on the subject of 

 the enemy's advantages and the necessity for main- 

 taining a strict silence regarding the details of our 

 organisation naturally led many to doubt whether 

 adequate steps had been taken to utilise meteorology 

 to the full. Many offered their services as forecasters 

 of experience, or as having methods which they con- 

 sidered could give highly trustworthy results, but they 

 did not realise that much more was needed than a 

 brief description of general weather conditions. They 

 did not know that a large and somewhat intricate 

 organisation had been found necessary, in which each 

 man played his appointed part, and from the com- 

 bined results of whose labours the required informa- 

 tion was evolved. 



There are now four State meteorological services in 

 operation— the Meteorological Office, the Admiralty 

 Meteorological Service, the Meteorological Section, 

 R.E., for the Army, and the Meteorological Service, 

 "R.A.F., of the Air Ministry— and the relations and the 

 means for co-operation between these four services 

 will have to be worked out, and a number of con- 

 siderations taken into account. 



So far as the studv of the weather and the issue 

 of forecasts is concerned, short-period meteorology, as 

 it may be called— rapidity of transmission of the 

 observations to the Central Office, where they are 

 discussed and compared, and of the forecasts, warn- 

 ings, etc., which are sent from it— is the first essential, 

 and the needs of aviation have only accentuated this. 

 Observations should be in the Central Office for the 

 forecaster's use not later than one hour after they 

 are taken if he is to get out his reports and warnings 

 earlv enough to be of effective use to aviators. This 

 will' mean a considerable acceleration in the collection 

 and transmission of reports from some parts, for a 

 country's own reports are not enough; those from 

 selected stations in the surrounding countries are 

 needed in order to form a correct view of the changes 

 that are taking place. Wireless telegraphy will assist 

 in meeting such requirements, and each country will 

 soon, it is hoped, send out the meteorological observa- 

 tions taken at some ten to fifteen of its selected 

 stations four times daily at fixed hours. French ob- 

 servations are already being sent out thrice daily from 

 the Eiffel Tower in this manner, but some organisa- 

 tion will be necessary to bring this into operation as a 

 general practice. With foreign reports collected in 

 this way, and special priority for the necessary number 

 of inland reports, forecasts could be got out more 

 quickly, and, consequently, be of far greater utility. 

 Onlv a small proportion of the observations which 

 are taken can ever be printed and published, so all 

 working meteorologists must often refer to tho 

 voluminous collection of manuscript data which everv 

 meteorological service accumulates. Where research 

 into the problems of the atmosphere is to be actively 

 carried on there must be free access to such a col- 

 lection, as well as to a well-stocked library on the 



^"Alfthese considerations indicate the desirability of 

 a close contact and co-operation between al the 

 meteorological services in a country, so that ^he whole 

 material mav be available to each, that the saent fie 

 staff of each may be able to discuss the points which 

 may arise, and that information may be quickly and 

 easily distributed. »„„^„ 0^,,^ 



Aviation, with its prospect of lo^S-^^'^^fJ^ .5°'^: 

 munication, has rendered necessary a readjustment 



NO. 2575, VOL. 103] 



of meteorological relations within the Empire. 

 Canada, South .\frica, .Australia, New Zealand, India, 

 and Egypt and the Sudan have all their well-equipped 

 meteorological services, which include networks of 

 stations so selected as to represent most suitably the 

 different meteorological conditions prevailing in those 

 regions. In each there is a scientific staff studying 

 the problems that arise or affect the economic life 

 of the country. Except as students of the same 

 science, the interests of each service have been some- 

 what diverse from the nature of the requirements 

 which each had to meet, but in future we must 

 organisfe the provision of all information that aviation 

 may require ; and since aviators are going to pass 

 from continent to continent and from one country to 

 another, uniformity of some kind must be attained in 

 respect of the assistance that meteorology is to give. 



From the organisation necessary for Imperial co- 

 operation to that of international co-operation is but 

 a step, and the same requirements have to be con- 

 sidered; but some additional complications, such 

 as variety of units, have to be reckoned with. But 

 these have been successfully dealt with in the past; 

 and as for many years the international work of 

 meteorological services has paved the way for steady 

 advance in our science, we may look with confidence 

 to even greater progress in the future. The problems 

 that press for early investigation are too numerous 

 to recite, but a few "may be mentioned. 



The relation of meteorology to gunnery must be 

 continued and the study of the many problems in- 

 volved carried on by competent men. 



The air routes of aerial transport will have to be 

 studied and all the information now available must 

 be sorted out, investigated, and discussed in order that 

 it may be put in the form most suitable for use by 

 airmen. This will demand much additional observing 

 at many places besides the discussion of existing 

 material, but unless this is done as part of a concerted 

 scheme much unnecessary expense will be incurred, 

 and the results will fall far short of what they should 

 be, since all the data must eventually be worked up 

 in connection with that from other places, and if all 

 are not of the same scientific standard they cease to 

 be comparable, and must often be rejected in dis- 

 cussion. ^ r^ , ' 



Many of the stations in the Crown Colonies can 

 afford most valuable information in this connection 

 if expert meteorologists are available to carry out the 

 work An observant traveller in Dahomey has re- 

 marked upon the presence of a steady north-easterly 

 current at about 6000 ft. to 7000 ft. over the lower 

 currents of the south-western monsoon of West Atrica, 

 and such information, if substantiated and extended, 

 mav be of material importance in this region. 



While overland observations are numerous, ana 

 have been extended bv means of haWons-sondes aero- 

 planes, etc., to very great heights, our knowledge ot 

 the atmosphere over the sea is much less complete 

 Bv means of ships equipped for the purpose, such 

 observations can be, and have been, made in certain 

 parts, but this line of investigation must be extended 

 if our knowledge is to be adequate. 



Besides these more evident needs of aviation there 

 are many problems of great P'-actical importance which 

 merit a closer and more thorough investigation than 

 they have vet received. Among these mav be sug- 

 gested those violent disturbances known as hurricanes 

 and typhoons. Recent theoretical investigations have 

 thrown much light on their nature. ^^^ ^\^^'^l^, 

 study of the evidence which exists should greatly add 

 to oiir knowledge of them. j^^^^rf 



Variation of rainfall is always a matter of import- 



