ON THE INVESTIGATION OP THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE. 27 



Investigation of tlie Upper Atmosphere, in co-operation with a Com- 

 mittee of the Royal Meteorological Society. — Tenth Report of the 

 Committee, consisting of Dr. W. N. Shaw (Chairman), Mr. E. Gold 

 (Secretary), Messrs. D. Archibald, C. Vernon Boys, C. J. P. 

 Cave, and W. H. Dines, Dr. E. T. Glazebrook, Sir Joseph 

 Larmor, Professor J. E. Petavel, Dr. A. Schuster, and Dr. W. 

 Watson. 



Meetings of the Joint Committee were held in the rooms of the Royal 

 Meteorological Society on October 12, 1910, and March 28, 1911. 



The results of the observations at Barbados, referred to in last 

 year's Report, were discussed by Mr. Cave in a paper read before the 

 Royal Meteorological Society and published in its Quarterly Journal. 

 A further supply of balloons and hydrogen were sent to Professor 

 D Albuquerque in order that he might continue the observations. 



During the week August 7-13, 1910, for which international balloon 

 ascents had been arranged over a large part of the Northern hemi- 

 sphere, arrangements similar to those described in last year's Report 

 were made for securing successful ascents in the British Isles. Alto- 

 gether 31 balloons were liberated, of which 19 were recovered and 16 

 gave records of temperature to heights exceeding 10 km. Of the latter 

 five were sent up from Crinan, N.B., five from Pyrton Hill, Oxford- 

 shire, three from Manchester, two from Ditcham Park, Petersfield, 

 and one from Oughterard, Ireland. 



The British Association grant was allocated partly to ascents made 

 by Captain Ley at Oughterard, latitude 53° 25' N., longitude 

 9° 20' W., in the West of Ireland, and partly to ascents made from 

 Mungret College, Limerick. At Oughterard six registering balloons 

 were sent up, and two of these were recovered. The results are shown 

 in the Table of Ascents (A) and (B). 



At the March meeting of the Committee it was suggested that the 

 authorities of Mungret College, Limerick, who had given evidence 

 of keen interest in meteorological work, might be willing to liberate 

 balloons during the international week. Such a course would avoid 

 the recurrent expense involved in special journeys to Ireland for the 

 ascents, and would permit of more frequent ascents being made. The 

 College authorities expressed their willingness to fall in with the sug- 

 gestion, and Mr. W. H. Dines undertook to provide instruments and 

 balloons for preliminary ascents in connection with the short inter- 

 national series in June this year, and to send over his assistant to give 

 necessary instructions in the preparation for the ascents. 



Three balloons were liberated on this occasion, and two of them 

 were recovered and gave records of temperature, in one case up to 

 17 km. The results are shown in the Table of Ascents (C), (D). A 

 balloon was also liberated from Mungret College in July, and the 

 result is shown under (E). The results for all five cases are plotted 

 in the diagram. 



At the request of the Joint Committee the week for international 

 ascents this year was postponed from September 4-9 to September 11-16, 



