SOLAR ENERGY VARIATIONS AND ANOMALOUS WEATHER CHANGES 
tions as related to solar variability should continue. 
Certainly, this type of approach is the least economical 
in that much time has been and will be wasted in cor- 
relations of parameters that are actually not related. 
From such work, however, may come occasional im- 
portant clues to the understanding and explanation 
of solar effects. In any case, it is the most direct method 
of investigation and, in the absence of basic physical 
understanding of the sun and of our atmosphere, may 
turn out to yield the most important information. 
SUMMARY 
The discussion and description of known irregular 
weather changes leads to some important conclusions: 
1. Changes ranging in time scale from weeks to epochs 
apparently involve oscillations between two extreme 
types of weather pattern that are observed today. 
2. The changes tend to be world-wide in extent. 
3. The amplitude of the changes does not decrease 
as the time scale increases. 
4, The variability of the world weather pattern seems 
to be similar in its quasi-periodic character and variable 
period to the known variability of the sun. 
The specific investigations of solar-weather relation- 
ships outlined herein are only a small fraction of those 
that have been accomplished. Perhaps others equally 
significant are in existence, but the ones cited are il- 
lustrative of techniques and results. Walker’s studies 
[25] show that no significant results can be expected 
from a simple correlation of annual means of sunspot 
numbers and weather elements. The work of Hanzlik 
shows further that atmospheric changes may vary sig- 
nificantly from season to season and even from one 
sunspot maximum to the next. Tannehill has furnished 
some striking examples of weather changes that parallel 
the sunspot curve. Duell and Duell have given the 
first suggestion of relationships between day-to-day 
weather changes and specific solar anomalies. Their 
work also suggests the possibility that more than one 
solar phenomenon (particle emission versus ultraviolet 
emission) may affect the atmosphere. 
These considerations suggest that glacial epochs, 
stages, and substages, periods of climatic stress such as 
the sub-Atlantic period, and stormy centuries, probably 
result from the predominance over various periods of 
time of low-index conditions such as are apparent in the 
weather at the present time. Further, these conditions 
may result from comparatively great solar activity, 
particularly with relation to particle emission that af- 
fects the upper atmosphere. These tentative suggestions 
are the best that can be made on the basis of present 
knowledge, but, unfortunately, they are vague and un- 
certain. They merely suggest the direction of future 
research. 
The writers feel that the present state of the problem 
justifies much additional research of observational, theo- 
retical, synoptic, and statistical nature. At present, there 
is no definite agreement as to the extent of solar ultra- 
violet variability or even as to the existence of variabil- 
ity in the visible part of the spectrum. These questions 
should be cleared up as soon as possible, by observa- 
389 
tion in the latter case and by observation if possible, 
or by astrophysical reasoning, in the former case. The 
meteorologists themselves have many problems to in- 
vestigate of a theoretical, synoptic, and statistical 
nature. 
Intensified research should at least settle the ques- 
tions of the extent of solar variability and whether it 
significantly affects the weather. Even definite informa- 
tion that no such relationships exist would be extremely 
valuable in planning the direction and emphasis of 
future meteorological research. 
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