WEATHER CYCLES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 87, 12 April 1923, Page 3

WEATHER CYCLES

MR. FIELD'S THEORY.

Mr. F. R. Field writes: Your correspondent apparently misquotes me slightly when writing of my weather cycles. Obviously, disturbed weather cannot continue indefinitely to recur every 25 days —the period of the sun's, equatorial rotation at the present time. If it did so, this cycle would have been noticed long ago. Within a, year's time that period will suddenly increase to nearly 28 days, when sun-spots and their attendant iaoulae break out again in higher, latitudes ; then throughout a term of about eleven years gradually fall again to 25 days. If, at any time ■ during that term, there should be but one of these disturbances upon the sun's southern hemisphere (the one that effects us particularly), it is possible for the resulting storm (with intervals of fine weather) to recur with each rotation of the sun for twenty months, or rather more. But such a condition can very rarely arise. Nearly always there will be several disturbed areas around the.sun, all in about the same latitude. There is a reason why the sun's circumference must often be marked by three such disturbed areas, equidistant from one another, but unequal in intensity, thus producing weather cycles of eight or nine days. And, of course, a« the latitude of the sun-spots changes, fresh systems of sun-spots staa-fc about midway at intervening places, still further complicating the position. But the rotation period, varying from 28 to 25 days, constitutes a very important weather cycle that is easily understood, and easily used and tested, and that can usually be accepted for three or four recurrences, whether the same spot or spots remain visible or not. Indeed, the disturbed areas are often marked by faculae only. And we may often judge from the weather alone whether the disturbances are becoming greater or less. There are, in addition, other weather cycles running into periods up to 45 years at least.. They overlap one another so as to produce apparent confusion ; and b more, careful analysis of solar records, with due regard to the sun's -polarity, is badly needed to place the knowledge in more workable form. I ought to say that in speaking of the rise in the earth's crust at Wellington (a rise that will almost inevitably be followed at same distant date by a gradual and partial fall), I am indebted to Mr. B. C. Aston for the very valuable evidence he has published] upon this matter.

About 500 persons por 10,000 of the whole population of Britain hnvc been in receipt of Poor Lmvi Relief in some form or other through the year 1922. In a. "model house" constructed in London in IS6B for the use of a peer, the kitchen was underground and vault-liko, without dither water of a. sink, mid the loullory and jwitry went placed » coni tiderablo distance *w»j,