WEATHER FORECASTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 299, 18 December 1935, Page 6

WEATHER FORECASTS.

WORLD-WIDE SERVICES,

The Clerk of the Weather—that hitherto much maligned official —is beginning to come into his own. More and better weather reports, long-range forecasts, increased international co-operation, the extended use of wireless, the rapid growth of aviation, the importance of "weather in war," and the growing impact of weather in all its phases on economic and industrial activity, are some of the factors that are helping to make weather and the weather men more and more important in the scheme of things.

The Commonwealth Meteorologist, Mr. W. S. Watt, who recently returned from the International Weather Conference held in Warsaw (Poland), has come back convinced that the science of meteorology and its application to the economic life of the world ( has gained a wider and ever-increasing scope. "At the Warsaw conference," he said, "some forty nations were represented, and the necessity for the closest international co-operation was stressed by all. One of the factors that has brought the countries of the northern hemisphere into such close touch is the growth of aviation, which demands quick, reliable and uniform weather reports with unceasing regularity. The result has been the 'Collective Synoptic Message,' which is based on weather reports sent out by wireless from a specified number of places throughout the northern hemisphere extending across the Atlantic to Annapolis (U.S.A.). These messages are sent out at the same time each day, and give the weather existing over certain areas. By collecting and collating this data, a complete weather map for the northern hemisphere can be made daily, of great value to airmen, navigators and also to industry generally. International Service. "Furthermore, the system which this extensive organisation is based on has been standardised and made uniform in respect to the code used, synchronisation, the compilation of the map and the symbols employed. It is thus an international service in every sense of the term, supported and operated by many countries. This system is in process of being amplified. More transmitting stations will be engaged, and eventually the daily, or even twice daily, publication of the weather map will become an increasing feature in the activities of the northern hemisphere. By this means a Japanese airman flying, say, to Germany, will be able to receive and read the map with the same facility as a German airman 'flying in the opposite direction to Japan. In the British Empire there is the additional responsibility of co-ordinating and improving a similar system along the main trunk air routes to Capetown, to Australia and to Hongkong. The importance of weather conditions along these routes is obvious, and involves a corresponding importance of frequent and reliable weather reports. Ground wireless organisation will play an increasingly large share in this; pilots of aircraft themselves must receive training in meteorology, and altogether" a comprehensive and efficient system will eventually be built up, of wl\ich the present organisation is but a nucleus.

"Regularity of flying by day and by night will depend on the accuracy and frequency of weather reports, and thus a chain of stations will be necessary along the routes from which synchronised weather reports will be transmitted in code to air pilots and received en route. Wind directions and air conditions in the upper layers of the atmosphere and more knowledge of the stratosphere are also indicated as requirements in the future. More observers and a better and more extended organisation will be required. Aviation lias provided the demand and wireless the means, and in the future I foresee a great expansion of the world's weather services." Mr. Watt found that in England the daily weather forecasts evoked little interest compared with those in Melbourne. "People do not seem to be so interested in the day's forecast in London as they are in, say, Melbourne. This is probably owing to the fact that rainfall is so important to us, while in England they concentrate on giving publicity to the number of hours' sunshine at the various seaside resorts. An hour of warm sunshine in England is equal to an inch of rain in Australia in publicity value." Comprehensive System Planned. The British weather organisation is very up-to-date and extensive. Mr. Watt considers that weather forecasting in the British Isles is more difficult than it is in Australia, which has now fallen partly into line with the international scheme bv broadcasting from Point Cook and from Richmond (N.S.W.) a full daily weather message on the international system. It is thus now possible for all ships, British and foreign, in Australian waters, and also for all aircraft operating near or over the continent, to draw a fairly complete weather map by means of which they can study the interpretative forecasts. This is but the skeleton of what must inevitably become a complete and comprehensive system, operating throughout Australia and in outlying territories, necessitating the employment of many more trained observers, an increase in the number of reporting stations, and the extension of the wireless transmitting stations. Hitherto the Australian weather services have concentrated rather on rainfall and allied phenomena in their bearing on agriculture and pastoral pursuits, and also of recent years on many secondary industries in the cities. Now a new and important function has been laid on the Commonwealth Weather Bureau, for the discharge of which it is inadequately equipped. The pressure of events, particularly in relation to international aviation and the growing importance of weather information in relation to defence are now fully recognised in Europe, and provision has already been made to meet these demands. Sooner or later the impact of these world currents will make themselves fully felt in Australia, as she is drawn further and further into the network of international communications and affairs. To meet these new demands that will inevitably arise, an expansion of the Commonwealth Weathei Bureau on national and scientific lines will be necessary in the near future.