﻿F. 
  II. 
  Bigeloiv 
  — 
  International 
  Cloud 
  Wor'k. 
  433 
  

  

  Art. 
  L. 
  — 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Cloud 
  

   Wor'k 
  for 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  ; 
  ^ 
  by 
  Professor 
  Frank 
  H. 
  

  

  BiGELOW. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  scheme 
  of 
  the 
  snrvev 
  of 
  the 
  clouds 
  proposed 
  bj 
  

   the 
  International 
  Cloud 
  Commission 
  is 
  so 
  widel_y 
  understood, 
  

   that 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  describe 
  it 
  again, 
  beyond 
  saying 
  

   that 
  the 
  observations 
  undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Weather 
  Bureau 
  

   began 
  on 
  May 
  1, 
  1896, 
  and 
  ended 
  on 
  June 
  30, 
  1897, 
  employ- 
  

   ing 
  one 
  primary 
  base 
  station 
  at 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  and 
  14 
  

   nephoscope 
  stations 
  distributed 
  quite 
  uniformly 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   territory 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  The 
  computation 
  of 
  

   the 
  resulting 
  data 
  and 
  the 
  arrangement 
  for 
  the 
  publication 
  

   follow 
  closely 
  the 
  prescribed 
  forms 
  submitted 
  in 
  the 
  circulars 
  

   of 
  the 
  commission, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  preparation 
  up 
  to 
  

   this 
  point 
  was 
  considerable, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  nothing 
  of 
  special 
  

   interest 
  to 
  say 
  regarding 
  that 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  report, 
  the 
  whole 
  

   of 
  which 
  will 
  form 
  Part 
  YI 
  of 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Chief 
  of 
  

   Weather 
  Bureau 
  for 
  1898. 
  

  

  The 
  possession 
  of 
  much 
  new 
  data, 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  6,600 
  

   single 
  theodolite 
  observations 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  25,000 
  nephoscope 
  

   observations, 
  afforded, 
  howevei", 
  a 
  favorable 
  opportunity 
  for 
  

   considering 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  fundamental 
  problems 
  of 
  Meteorol- 
  

   ogy, 
  especially 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  develop 
  in 
  the 
  

   most 
  perfect 
  manner 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  American 
  continent, 
  and 
  

   therefore, 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  has 
  been 
  pushed 
  

   far 
  beyond 
  the 
  liniits 
  implied 
  in 
  the 
  scheme 
  of 
  the 
  commission. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  admitted, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  by 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  conversant 
  

   with 
  the 
  true 
  state 
  of 
  meteorology, 
  that 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  much 
  good 
  

   work 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  able 
  investigators, 
  there 
  are 
  still 
  serious 
  

   gaps 
  in 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  facts 
  needed 
  to 
  construct 
  a 
  sound 
  theory 
  

   of 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  cyclones 
  and 
  anti-cyclones; 
  and, 
  furthermore, 
  

   that 
  the 
  existing 
  theories 
  are 
  neither 
  in 
  agreement 
  among 
  

   themselves 
  nor 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  known 
  facts. 
  It 
  was 
  important, 
  

   therefore, 
  to 
  develop 
  the 
  facts 
  regarding 
  the 
  circulation 
  of 
  the 
  

   atmosphere 
  without 
  bias 
  fi'J 
  initio 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  essential 
  to 
  so 
  

   far 
  correlate 
  the 
  existing 
  mathematical 
  analyses 
  that 
  their 
  true 
  

   meaning 
  as 
  to 
  one 
  another 
  and 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  should 
  appear. 
  Meteorology 
  must 
  always 
  remain, 
  not 
  a 
  

   crude 
  branch 
  of 
  science 
  as 
  some 
  writers 
  erroneously 
  maintain, 
  

   but 
  a 
  difficult 
  one, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  complications 
  attending 
  

   the 
  physical 
  processes 
  and 
  the 
  fluid 
  motions 
  in 
  the 
  complex 
  

   form 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  atmosphere. 
  We 
  have 
  attempted 
  to 
  

   show 
  how 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  apparent 
  obstacles 
  can 
  be 
  overcome 
  by 
  

   employing 
  the 
  methods 
  used 
  in 
  these 
  observations 
  and 
  reduc- 
  

   tions, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  stimulate 
  students 
  to 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  efforts 
  to 
  Anally 
  resolve 
  these 
  interesting 
  problems. 
  

  

  "•■ 
  Published 
  by 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  Chief 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Weather 
  Bureau. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Joue. 
  Sci.— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  YIII, 
  No. 
  48.— 
  December, 
  1899. 
  

   30 
  

  

  