236 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XVI. No. 403 



LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 

 Reversal of Temperature in Lows and Highs. 



De. Hann of Vienna has taken serious exception to some of the 

 views advanced in Science for June 6, 1890, and has published an 

 article in the September Austrian Meteorological Journal in 

 which he forcibly advances his views. I shall have no time for a 

 controversy on this question, but it seems to me that its impor- 

 tance demands a passing notice of this last discussion. It is possi- 

 ble that we are not fully agreed as to the question at issue. I 

 give my understanding of it. Is there a reversal of temperature 

 in the centre of our lows and highs as we ascend in them? I use 

 the terms '• low " and " high " to replace exactly "cyclone " and 

 "anticyclone," the words used in Europe. " Cyclone " was first 

 applied by Piddington to severe West India and other tropical 

 storms, and should be reversed for that purpose, as is carefully 

 done by our Signal Service. The word "anticyclone" is very 

 awkward, and should be discarded. The words "low" and 

 " high " represent exactly what we see on our maps, and have 

 been applied to these phenomena now these twenty years. I make 

 this explanation, because I find that our discussions are being read 

 in Europe, and they may not be entirely plain. The word " cy- 

 clone " is probably the most abused of any in this country. The 

 scientist applies it to a storm perhaps 1,000 miles in diameter, 

 with winds circulating about it from right to left, and of no great 

 violence. Probably 64,000,000 people, at least, refer the term to 

 a most violent outburst, not more than 50 to 300 feet across at the 

 earth, which has energy enough to demolish every substantial 

 buildiog which it encounters. Dr. Plann objects to the word 

 "storm," because, forsooth, seafaring men have adopted it to 

 represent a very high wind. We are permitted the use of the words 

 "rain-storm," "hail-storm," "thunder-storm," "snow-storm,"' 

 " wind-storm," " sand-storm," etc., and it seems a great pity that 

 we cannot apply the word "storm" in. a general sense when we 



wish to mention the accompaniment of any of these. We must 

 be careful, however, not to confuse " storm " with " low." 



Dr. Hann makes me contradict myself by assuming that I ac- 

 cept " the ordinary theories of storm-generation" in i'cjewce for 

 June 6, and totally discard them in another Science. I am sure 

 no one familiar with my views could charge that I accept ordinary 

 theories in meteorology. If one quotes such views in a discussion 

 for the purpose of advancing an argument, surely he does not ac- 

 cept them ; and such quotation does not overthrow all his views 

 given repeatedly. 



Dr. Hann has failed to comprehend the argument I advanced 

 regarding his earlier researches in this subject. He published as 

 early as 1874 that in unsaturated air the theoretical diminution of 

 temperature with height is not far from 1° F. in 183 feet, while in 

 saturated air it was 1° F. in 300 to 400 feet. I assumed that in our 

 highs the air was not saturated, while in our lows it was. I have 

 changed the computation slightly, and have now determined the 

 theoretical temperature at Sonnblick, and compared it with that 

 observed. 



Sonnblick Temperatures {F.). 



There seems to be direct contradiction here between the earlier 

 theory and the later apparently observed facts. It may also be 



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