A History of Science — Volume 3Williams, Henry Smith
History
A History of Science — Volume 3
Williams, Henry Smith
Science -- History
The primary cause of the low barometric pressure which marks the
storm-centre and establishes the cyclone is expansion of the air through
excess of temperature. The heated air, rising into cold upper regions,
has a portion of its vapor condensed into clouds, and now a new dynamic
factor is added, for each particle of vapor, in condensing, gives up its
modicum of latent heat. Each pound of vapor thus liberates, according
to Professor Tyndall's estimate, enough heat to melt five pounds of cast
iron; so the amount given out where large masses of cloud are forming
must enormously add to the convection currents of the air, and hence to
the storm-developing power of the forming cyclone. Indeed, one school
of meteorologists, of whom Professor Espy was the leader, has held that,
without such added increment of energy constantly augmenting the dynamic
effects, no storm could long continue in violent action. And it is
doubted whether any storm could ever attain, much less continue, the
terrific force of that most dreaded of winds of temperate zones, the
tornado--a storm which obeys all the laws of cyclones, but differs from
ordinary cyclones in having a vortex core only a few feet or yards in
diameter--without the aid of those great masses of condensing vapor
which always accompany it in the form of storm-clouds.
The anti-cyclone simply reverses the conditions of the cyclone. Its
centre is an area of high pressure, and the air rushes out from it in
all directions towards surrounding regions of low pressure. As before,
all parts of the current will be deflected towards the right, and
the result, clearly, is a whirl opposite in direction to that of the
cyclone. But here there is a tendency to dissipation rather than to
concentration of energy, hence, considered as a storm-generator, the
anti-cyclone is of relative insignificance.
In particular the professional meteorologist who conducts a "weather
bureau"--as, for example, the chief of the United States signal-service
station in New York--is so preoccupied with the observation of this
phenomenon that cyclone-hunting might be said to be his chief pursuit.
It is for this purpose, in the main, that government weather bureaus
or signal-service departments have been established all over the world.
Their chief work is to follow up cyclones, with the aid of telegraphic
reports, mapping their course and recording the attendant meteorological
conditions. Their so-called predictions or forecasts are essentially
predications, gaining locally the effect of predictions because the
telegraph outstrips the wind.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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