Meteorology: The Science of the Atmosphere — John Shaqi
Meteorology: The Science of the AtmosphereTalman, Charles Fitzhugh
Science
Meteorology: The Science of the Atmosphere
Talman, Charles Fitzhugh
Meteorology
Recently the aerial surveyor has become the rival of the hydrographer
in mapping shoals, channels, submerged rocks, and other features
beneath the water. If the water is clear and suitable atmospheric
conditions prevail, objects submerged to a considerable depth may be
distinctly seen from an aeroplane flying far above the surface. It
was on account of this fact that Allied aviators were able to spot
submerged German submarines during the World War. The camera, equipped
with proper plates and ray filters, can pierce the water even better
than the eye. Thus objects have been photographed at a depth of more
than 50 feet. British aviators charted the harbor of Rahbeg, on the
coast of Arabia, by the process in 1917. In this country the leading
exponent of underwater photography is Dr. Willis T. Lee, of the United
States Geological Survey, who has taken scores of photographs showing
submerged features of the waters adjacent to Chesapeake Bay. It is
likely that rivers like the Mississippi, with ever shifting sand bars,
will soon be made safe by monthly or weekly mapping from the air. In
earthquake regions, such as southern Italy and Japan, the changing
coast lines, shallows and harbors can easily be photographed after
each new quake, thus keeping navigation open and protecting the lives
of mariners.
Another application of this process of sighting submerged objects from
the air is the aerial fish patrol. The plan of using aircraft to locate
schools of fish appears to have been first suggested by Professor
Joubin, of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, and it has been
carried out with much success in both Europe and America. Its promoters
hope that it will eventually revolutionize the fishing industry and add
greatly to the world’s food supply. In the year 1919 seaplanes from the
North Island Air Station at San Diego, California, made regular flights
at an altitude of about 500 feet over the adjacent waters as an adjunct
to the important fisheries in that vicinity. When a school of fish was
detected, the aviator dropped low enough to ascertain the species,
and if it proved to be of a commercial kind, such as the sardine, the
news was flashed by wireless to the fishing fleet. The ocean in the
neighborhood of San Diego was divided into numbered squares, shown on
charts, and locations were reported by number. In 1920 a daily patrol
was maintained by Navy seaplanes over the waters of Chesapeake Bay in
behalf of the menhaden fishery. According to an official report, “the
experiments fully demonstrated the commercial value of planes in this
fishery.” It is believed that aircraft might be used with equal success
in connection with the whaling industry.
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