CHARTING THE AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17428, 25 March 1920, Page 5

CHARTING THE AIR.

WORK OF METEOROLOGISTS

PART PLAYED IN THE WAR.

.NECESSITY TO AVIATION.

'. Science in many ways came to the aid of the Allies in the Great War, but it may not bo generally known that meteorology played no small part in fighting the submarine menace. Some information on the subject was given yesterday by Mr. William Gaw, F.R. Met. Soc., who is now in Auckland. Mr. Gaw was one of a staff of 60 meteorologists who formed the 'British naval meteorological ~ service during the war, a. service charged with immense responsibilities at a .time when German submarines and flying machines were becoming a most serious menace. Aided by wonderful instruments, some of which were produced or perfected by the necessities of war, this service was able to chart the air at any time of night or day, and advise the aircraft, particularly the anti-submarine airships, of tbe«safety or danger the elements held.

"It was not a- case of saying what the weather conditions of the immediate

future would probably be," said Mr. Gaw. " The service had to say definitely whether or not an airship could go out. And this is now possible, for meteorology is now an almost exact science."

: _ The greatest--of the modern instruments in use is the Holliwefl-Bives pressure tube anemometer, which gives the direction and velocity of the wind, from which can be determined the position of the storm-' centre. In addition this scientific arm of the navy was required to chart the air five times a day, using small balloons for the purpose. This work was termed "sounding the" upper air." Observatories .were established at all the air stations, •md through the aid of wireless telegraphy th«» machines were kent constantly advised of atmospheric conditions To instance the value •• of this knowledge Mr. Gaw mentioned that when the airship. 834 was on her Trans-Atlantic flight from Scotland to New York, she was advised of the approach of a severe storm, and was l warned to eo into higher'latitudes and so skirt the left edce of the storm. This the airsnin did and

she missed a storm which would probably have wrecked her. The alteration in the

course proloneed the journey, however, and when she reached New York her ■petrol'was almost exhausted. To further instance the tremendous importance of accurate weather forecasts, Mr. Caw mentioned that the Germans, cut off from a

knowledge of the meteorological reports from the West. Co»st of Ireland, the first land to feel the influence of storm centres approaching from the west, • sometimes sent submarines to the Atlantic to make meteorological observations, oh which to base their forecasts. . " With the advent of commercial aviation,* and it is most surely coming." said Mr. Gaw, "modern observations will be an absolute necessitv. Tn most .parts of the Empire, including l Canada and New Zealand, the observatories do not possess the most modern instruments. Engineers had produced flyine machines capable of carrying on commercial' and passenper services, but commercial aviation could never be developed without the highly accurate meteorological knowledge now possible." He mentioned that the new instruments were not very expensive. The means of acquiring this knowledge

also had a definite bearing upon military preparedness, because aviation would cer-

famly plav a most important part in future wars.