3 2 4 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 51 



-Off 1 



<?' /o° 



20 



From this table, as well as from the figures 50 and 51 belonging 

 therewith, in which the curves belonging to the cyclonal and anti- 

 cyclonal weather conditions are indicated by C and A, we see at 

 once that in winter as well as in summer the temperatures in the 

 anticyclones are higher than in the cyclones at the same altitude; 



the only exception is in the 

 very lowest portion of the 

 winter curves. Thus from 

 these voyages we deduce 

 the same residt that Hann 

 drew from the observations 

 made in the Alps. 



Thus the temperatures 

 observed in cyclonal and 

 anticyclonal regions up to 

 8000 meters altitude do not 

 suffice to explain the origin 

 or existence of the ascend- 

 ing and descending move- 

 ment that is demanded 

 by the so-called convection 

 theory. 



This is true, indeed, only for Central Europe, but since the 

 cyclones generally arrive on the European coasts already well 

 developed, and since also, on the other hand, for reasons easily 

 understood, the balloon voyages have given us very few observations 

 from the highest and central parts of the cyclones; therefore the 

 question is far from being definitely decided. 



Moreover, the fact that in the majority of cases the cyclones lose 

 their intensity after entering the continent and are finally dissipated in 

 the interior of Northern Asia, indicates that observations over 

 Central Europe cannot possibly suffice to answer the fundamental 

 question. At least it will require a much broader base of observa- 

 tions than is here given to answer this question. 



Whether and to what extent a thorough discussion of the simul- 

 taneous voyages undertaken at a great variety of places in Europe, 

 or a profound comparative study of the observations made in 

 America and Europe with balloons and kites, will suffice, may be 

 left to the future. Personally I incline to the conclusion that the 

 nature of the cyclones and anticyclones will be understood only after 

 we begin to study them from broader points of view in connection 

 with the general circulation of the atmosphere. 



fig. 50 



