A MILE ABOVE THE EARTH.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XX, 15 May 1897, Page 618

A MILE ABOVE THE EARTH.

Tiik importance of high altitude observations obtained by the aid of kites, for the further development of meteorology, is shown by the fact that the weather conditions at the height of a mile above any station differ more from the weather at that station than does the weather at any place within 500 or 1,000 miles at the level of the station on the earth’s surface. At the height of a mile in free air the temperature is easily from 15 degrees to 25 degrees Fahrenheit colder than at the earth’s surface, says the Boston Herald, and there is virtually no daily change in temperature, the nights being as warm as the days. The only changes are due to the passage of warm or cold waves. During fair weather at this height the days are very damp and the nights exceedingly dry. Low clouds frequently cover the earth, and even rain may fall from these while the sun shines bright at the height of a mile. The overhead velocity of the wind at this height is four times greater than at the ground, and hurricanes of 100 miles an hour are not uncommon. At least, the meteorological records obtained by the kites and measurements of the heights and movements of clouds indicate that these are the conditions which exist at Blue hill, near Boston.