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News and Notes Two Warning Systems Or How Much Such Systems Could Cost Bulletin American Meteorological Society possible for us to lead the way, among environmental On another front, the Society is moving vigorously sciences, in meeting this opportunity and challenge. to expand its already highly successful educational pro- gram. As we look to the future, it becomes increasingly Meteorology and the American Meteorology Society clear we must have not only more trained people but Finally, let me tell you about some of the things that also more broadly educated people. You may not realize are going on in our national society, the American Mete- that the AMS has pioneered, among professional so- orological Society. Perhaps your representative to the cieties, in the production of educational films, books, Council of the AMS has already told you that our Presi- paperbacks, and other materials. Now we are proposing dent for the year, Gene Bollay, has declared this the an even more vigorous and environmentally wide-rang- year of applied meteorology! As an old practitioner of ing program in this area, aimed at the high-school and the art, it was to be expected Gene would move in this early college students. In order to make sure that the direction. However, the fact that he could be elected and broader aspects are properly included, we are involving move meteorology in this direction also represents a hydrologists, oceanographers, and geologists as well as measure of the degree to which this profession has ma- meteorologists in the preparation of these materials. Be- tured. If you want some insight, read Prof. Houghton's fore too long I hope we also have the life sciences and Presidential address in 1946. He found it necessary to the social sciences working with us. reiterate in no uncertain terms, and against obvious op- position, that the Society was not just a scientific organi- Conclusion zation, it was also a professional organization devoted to Well, these are a few of the things that are happening, the professional practice, as well as the scientific develop- even in this period of belt-tightening. For me, they point ment of the atmospheric sciences. to a very bright future, if we will but pick up the chal- Another vital step in this direction is the activity lenge and devote our individual and collective wisdom presently underway to broaden the publications of the and energies to accomplishing the things that must be Society to include a better representation of the pro- fessional and operational meteorologist's interests. You done. I would stress the collective effort, not only among will soon receive information about changes in JAS and the institutions and agencies with responsibility for the JAM which move JAM much more strongly toward atmospheric sciences, but also among the allied disci- applied research and operational problems, a change plines which share the problems that interest us. The which I, as editor of JAM, sincerely welcome. Of course time for petty jealousies and defense of small empires we cannot publish a paper we never receive. But I have has passed. The problems before us demand a united every hope the professional and operational meteorolo- and cooperative approach, an approach which can occur gists will use this very valuable means of communicating only if each of us dedicates himself to the collective their findings and experiences with each other and the good. In fairness to ourselves and our fellow men, we profession at large. can do no less. Werner K. Dahm, director of the laboratory, said in a New York Times report on the article that he is reluctant to predict when the laser could be used practicably in the news and notes two warning systems or how much such systems could cost. About $650,000 will have been expended when the first airborne clear-air-turbulence warning system is tested. A carbon dioxide gas laser is being used as the power source for the warning system. It is designed to measure atmo- spheric wind velocities directly and provide the airplane Lasers beam in on CAT and aerial vortices cockpit with an indication of turbulence. Robert Huffaker, a physicist in charge of the study, hopes that the system Scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center of the National used in flight tests will have a range of more than 6 mi Aeronautics and Space Administration, Huntsville, Ala., are (9.6 km). investigating the use of lasers to detect two invisible menaces to aviation—clear air turbulence and aerial vortices—the Laser measurement of vortices is still in the early stages. magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology reports. Whereas turbulence can be measured by molecular distur- Research over the last 3 years at the Center's Aerodynamics bances, vortices require a 3-dimensional measurement be- Laboratory indicates that lasers could be adapted to a sys- cause the movement of the air is violently tumbling in all tem aboard planes to warn high-flying aircraft of clear-air directions. Current studies are employing a DC-3 flying by turbulence. The laboratory has also studied the possibility a 30-ft (10 m) pipe emitting dyed smoke to create visible of an airport warning system using three laser beams that vortices. would detect and analyze the intensity of vortices. (More news and notes on page 1078) 1051 Vol. 51, No. 11, November 1970 pletely update the contents, including the addition of totally in Switzerland and a meeting of physicians and weathermen new material, particularly relating to equipment and to col- took place. Of the more than 30 papers from the conference, lision avoidance. 7 deal specifically with bioclimatology, whereas the rest are The 17 chapters cover radar principles and general char- mainly concerned with physiology and medicine. J. C. Thams acteristics, radar equipment, operational controls, propaga- discusses the historical development of bioclimatology since tion of waves and response of targets, radar meteorology, its founding by C. Dorno in Davos, Switzerland. The early interpretation of the display, unwanted echoes and effects, hope to find specific, measurable climatic elements responsi- radar as an aid to navigation, radar for collision avoidance, ble in a clear-cut way for successes in climatic health resorts radar and the rule of the road at sea, aids to increasing echo has faded. W. Moerikofer stresses the items a climatic health strength and to identification, shore-based radar, the impor- spa should not have such as air pollution, strong wind, ex- tance of recording experience, simple maintenance, the radar- tremes of cooling power, cloudiness, rain. The Alps have a efficient ship, components and circuits in the equipment, and large variety of beneficial climatic types generally varying radar in the future. There are five appendices which include with increasing height: from a mild climate (the German an echo recognition table; marine radar performance speci- term "schonklima" seems intranslatable) below 600 m through fications, 1968; some constants, formulae and useful data; moderate (400-1100 m) or strong stimulating (1200-1900 m) useful test equipment; and a short glossary of terms. Al- to intense stimulation (1500-1800 m). though the book is easily read and well illustrated, one F. Steinhauser shows examples of precipitation duration, serious criticism is the total lack of references. This leaves sunshine duration, frequency of hours of small cloudiness, the user nowhere to turn for answers to questions or more frequency of mountain and valley winds, and of windspeeds. information on a particular aspect of the subject. These data give to the vacationer a much different aspect The beginning chapters give the principles and general from those averaged over 24 hours. A place with 15 rainy characteristics of radar in an elementary form so that no days a summer month looks bad, but only 10% of all hours previous knowledge of electronics is required. These funda- have rain. mentals are then enlarged in terms of existing equipment Articles by R. Neuwirth and F. Verbar describe certain with the emphasis being placed on the functions rather than aspects of the aerosol. on the precise composition of the various units. The opera- tional aspects of marine radar are treated in the later chap- The most impressive original article is the short one by ters which describe in detail methods for using radar as an R. Reiter on "Annual Trend and Change with Altitude of aid to navigation and as a collision-warning set, and which Ultraviolet in the High Mountains." The instrument mea- deal extensively with the interpretation of the display in- sures global UV on a horizontal plane with a sensitivity cluding precipitation and sea clutter echoes and meteoro- from about 310-335 mm, i.e., somewhat longer in wave- logical effects on propagation of the radar beam. The re- length than skin erythema or vitamin D creation. Monthly viewer definitely recommends this comprehensive text to data in millicalories per cm2 and months are given. Clouds those who have applications for radar at sea.—H. W. Hiser and aerosol cause data at 3000 m to be about twice those at 730 m (top and foot of Zugspitze). The caloric global radia- Man in the Climate of the Alps (Der Mensch im tion shows only a 20% loss at 730 m, except for November Klima der Alpen). Edited by J. S. Deschwanden, K. where valley fogs cause a 50% loss. „ Schram and J. C. Thams. Hans Huber, Bern and Stutt- M. Wasserfallen tries to promote heliotherapy for extra- gart, 1968. 242 pp. pulmonary tuberculosis. He cannot give, however, any A hundred years ago the Matterhorn was first climbed. physical-biological argument on the causative angle. He does In memory of this event a "Year of the Alps" was declared not mention the dangers of ultraviolet.—K.
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