10 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1909
invited the commission to hold its next triennial meeting at
Monaco April 1 of this year. It is proposed to hold the ses-
sions in the rooms of the Oceanographic Museum. The last
meeting was held at Milan in 1906.
This commission suffers under a somewhat misleading name,
as it is not especially concerned with aeronautics-i. e., the
navigation of the air-but has for its sphere the whole subject
of upper air meteorology. Inasmuch as the term “aerology ”
is now quite generally applied to this branch of meteorology,
the writer of these notes ventures to suggest that the commis-
sion ought to be renamed rr International Aerological Commis-
sion;” especially as there exists another international organi-
zation for the discussion c,f purely aeronautical questions; viz,
the Commission Permanente Internationale d’A8ronautique.
This commission-i. e., the one devoted to cr aerology ”-has
a membership of 56, and is the largest of all the commissions
on special subjects appointed by the International Meteorologi-
cal Committee. Its president is Prof. H. Hergesell, director
of the Meteorological Service of Alsace-Lorraine.
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON DAILY WEATHER REPORTS FOR
THE GLOBE.
Another meteorological cornmission is to meet at Monaco in
April; viz, the commission appointed at the last Paris meeting
of the International Meteorological Committee to consider
Teisserenc de Bort’s plan of securing prompt reports, day by
day, from about 30 selected stations in various parts of the
globe, and the suggestion of Hildebrandsson that observa-
tories be established at the r r centers of action ” of the atmos-
phere. This commission will begin its sessions just after
those of the Commission on Scientific Aeronautics, viz, April
5, 1909. The adoption of the project of MM. Teisserenc de
Bort and Hildebrandsson would enable the central office of
each national weather service to keep en rapport with current
meteorological conditions in other parts of the globe, and
especially in those regions where the phenomena of the atmos-
pheric circulation are believed to be of the greatest signifi-
cance to the weather of the world at large. So far as the
Weather Bureau is concerned, it would facilitate the enlarge-
ment and improvement of our synoptic weather map of the
Northern Hemisphere, now made every clay at Washington
from telegraphic reports. .
The members of this commission are: Teisserenc de Bort
(president), Hildebrandsson (secretary), Hergesell, Deslanclres,
Hellmann, Lyons, Shaw, and Walker.
METEOROLOQICAL APPOINTMENT IN BELGIUM.
It is announced that J. Vincent has been appointed director
of the meteorological service of the Royal Observatory of Bel-
gium-i. e., of the Belgian national weather service-to suc-
ceed the late Albert Lancaster. M. Vincent has been promi-
nently connected with the Belgian service for many years, and
has been director ad interhi since the death of &I. Lancaster;
hence his appointment to the directorship was in the natural
order of events.
A COURSE IN METEOROLOGY FOR BALLOONISTS.
A five-hour course in meteorology for balloonists and others
interested in aeronautics, covering the months of January and
February, has been established at Cologne under the auspices
of the aeronautical club of that city. The lectures are given
at the Handelhochschule, by Doctor Polis, director of the
meteorological observatory of Ail-la-Chapelle.
HOMAQE TO PROFESSOR HANN.
Meteorologists all over the world unite this year in doing
honor to Hofrat Prof. Dr. Julius Ham, of Vienna, who com-
pletes his 70th year on March 23. At the instance of Prof.
Wilhelm Trabert, the photographs of prominent meteorologists
of all countries have been collected at Vienna, and will be pre-
sented to Professor Hann on his birthday.
DB. rAur, BEBGHOLZ, is45-igog.
Dr. Paul Bergholz, director of the meteorological observ-
atory at Bremen, died January 3, U09. Doctor Bergholz took charge of the second-order station at Bremen in 1889, caused
it to be raised to the rank of an observatory the following
year, and thereafter, up to the time of his death, carried on the
observations that have been published in such elaborate de-
tail as a separate annual volume, for Bremen, of the r( Deutsches
meteorologisches Jahrbuch.” He also collected and published
several early series of observations at Bremen, extending
back to the year 1803.
Other publications by Doctor Bergholz related to tropical
hurricanes, including a substantial volume, cT Die Orkane des
ferne Ostens ’* (“ The hurricanes of the far east ”), based on the
first edition of Alguh’s well-known treatise on that subject.
OFFICERS OF THE ROYAL METWlRULOGICAL SOCIETY FOR 1909.
At the annual meeting of the Royal Meteorological Society
on January 80, the following officers and members of the coun-
cil were elected for the ensuing year:
President, Lieut.-Col. H. Mellish; Vice-Presidents, Mr. W.
W. Bryant, Mr. W. H. Dines. F. R. S., Commander M. w. Campbell Hepworth, 0. B., Dr. H. R. Mill; treasurer, Dr. C.
Theodore Williams; secretaries, Mr. F. C. Bayard, Coinmander
W. F. Caborne, C. B.; foreign Recretary, Dr. R. H. Scott, F.
R. 8. ; council, Messrs. R. Bentley, F. J. Brodie, C. J. P. Cave,
Dr. H. N. Dickson, F Druce, E. Gold, R. Inwards, B. Latham,
R. 6. B. Lempfert, Col. H. E. Rawson, C. B., Capt. R. C. War-
den, and Capt. D. Wilson-Barker.
AEROLOCtICAL STATIONS OF TEE WORLD.
The Wiener Luftschiffer Zeitung for February 1, 1909, pub-
lishes a complete list of the upper air observations macle on
the rc international days ” during the first half of the year 1908.
From this list we learn that observations with kites or balloons
(or both) were made more or less regularly at the following
places: Trappes, France; Uccle, Belgium; DeBilt (near Utrecht),
Holland; Pyrton Hill, Peterafield. Brighton, Glossop (near
Manchester), England; Pevia, Italy; Guadalajara, Epain;
Zurich, Switzerland; Strassburg, Frankfort a M., Hamburg,
Lindenberg, Munich, Friedrichsliafen (the kite station on Lake
Constance), Germany; Vienna, Austria; Pavlovsk, Kasan,
Koutchino, Eketerinburg, Nijni Olcliedaev, Tiflis, Baku,
ICovno, Russia; Helwan, Egypt; Blue Hill (Mass.), Mount
Weather (Va.), United States.
The above is not a complete list of the aerological stations
of the world, but will convey some idee of the extensive scale
upon which the campaign of upper air research is now being
concluctecl.
SUMMER AND WINTER VERTICAL TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS.
By W. J. HUhlPlIREY* Profeswr ot Meteoonloyical I’hysicv. Dated Moiiui We:rther, February, 1909.
In my article on the vertical temperature gradients of the
atmosphere, Vol. 11, No. 1, of the Mount Weather Bulletin, I
state that the effect of change of season on this gradient causes
it to be greatest in winter and least during the summer, and
that this condition is best seen at a considerable elevation,
since in the turbulent region next the earth storms and other
temporary results mask those due to seasonal change.
The gradients of the lower atmosphere are so frequently at
variance with the above statement in regard to the seasonal
changes that it seems desirable to test it by a large number
of direct observations. I have, therefore, brought together
in Table 1 all the published summer and winter gradients be-
tween 3,000 and 8,000 meters elevation obtained since 1904
with sounding balloons at five different stations.
The 3,000-meter level is just above the lower turbulent
region, in which to measure the temperature gradient is akin
~- -
JANUARY, 1909. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 11
Liudeiiberg.. .......................................... 0.6Y9
Pavlovsk ................................................ 0.699 (0 .6 1 )
Strnssburg.. ............................................ 0. Wti
Tmppes. ................................................. 0.637
Lkvle ................................................. ., 0.656
to measuring the flow of a river by putting the float in an
eddy near the shore, while the 8,000-meter level is safely be-
low the upper inversion. It is in this region of comparatively
uniform changes that seasonal effects are most clearly seen.
TABLE l.-Obeetwd vertical Cmvcmtcirr, aradienta between 3.W and S,WO
0.758
0.623 (0.667)
0.706
0.775
0.745
~
I
1
Elrva-
I .]b/rrn.
tl0ll.
--
Aug. 3 ,l %...I{
Aug .29, I9 05...li 2;:
Aug.31,19 E...') 2,:;:;
Jan. 4,1906 ...
July 4,1906.. .I
:lorn
Feb. 1,1906.. . 1 tgg
I ( r9782
STK A SSH 1; RG.
TABLE %-Average iwrtieal temperature padiente between 3,000 and S ,W
nwters eltvrctwn -- At
100 m.
THE FORMATION OF HAIL.
By Dr. J. B. I ~I B L I S . h t e d Salisbury, N. C , January 5, 1909.
I n the MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW for January, 1906, 34:30,
the Editor has published some observations by Doctor Gibson
on the foruation of hail, and the following extract from a
recent letter presents a slight modification of his earlier views:
It is well known that, as a rule, hail precedes the rain. The general
opinion that hailstones have a nucleus of snow I do not believe to be justified. * * * Consider a tumbler of water with all but its central
portion turned into crystal ice. This is the natural process in the open
air. Before solididcation is entirely completed hold the central portion of the glass up at the level of the eye and shake it. A globular mass of
unfrozen water and niush ice will be found in the dark central portion. Now let freezing completely solidify the contents oP the glass and this central part will be a mass of mow-white strite radiating in every direc-
tion. These streaks are as white as cotton thread. This central white Core is what is seen in the hailstone, and is produced by the natural process of freezing the central portion last. I venture to assert that
snow will not forni at all under conditions such that sleet and hail will be generated readily ani1 abundantly.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SYSTEMATICY OBSERVATION OF PERSISTENT METEOR =INS.
By C. C'. ' ~i ~~.~\~~i ~i i i ~~i ~:, 1). Sc.. Cvluinluia Guiversity. Dated Repteinber, 1901.
[Reprinted from The Observatory, No. 402, November, 1908.1
The nature of the luminous cloud occasionally seen in the
track of large meteors, known as the presistent streak or train,
has long been regarded as a mystery by astronomers. Meteors
which leave these long-enduring trains are few in comparison
to the total number of meteors that are observed, and conse-
quently even experienced observers are sometimes taken un-
prepared, and fail to record nn observation with desired detail.
Many trains have been seen, however, which have remained
visil.de from ten to thirty minutes, and definite and authentic
facts concerning them have been recorded in numerous case&
The late Prof. H. A. Newton, of Yale University, and Prof. E.
E. Barnnrd, of the Yerkes Observatory, have both published
some valuable observations on the drift of trains in the United
States, and the late Prof. A. 8. Herschel, Mr. W. F. Denning,
Mr. T. W. Backhouse, and others have likewise published many
important facts relating to presistent trains seen in England.
Indeed, a very large part of the progress of meteoric astronomy