The physics of precipitation in cumulus clouds

Summary Over the past several years, the University of Chicago has conducted a program of research into the physics and chemistry of cumulus cloud precipitation. From these measurements it has been possible to isolate the sublimation-coalescence mechanism (Bergeron process) from the condensation-coalescence mechanism and to estimate the relative role of each process in the formation of rain n cumulus clouds. It is found that size of cloud capable of raining is a strong function of geography, that the environment of the cloud is very important in determining the probability of rain and that liquid water content is one of the most important within-cloud parameters.An essential part of the research concerned cloud treatment. Definite, positive treatment effects were demonstrated for rain initiation through coalescence using water spray. No effects were detectable from dry ice seeding of subcooled clouds, although any such effects may have been obscured by sample size (27 cloud pairs).Text of paper presented before Physical Society and Royal Meteorological Society Joint Conference on Cloud Physics, London, England, Jan. 4–5, 1956. The research reported in this paper has been sponsored by the Geophysics Research. Directorate of the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Air Research and Development Command under Contract Nos. AF 19 (604)-618 and AF 19 (604)-1388.     

Disturbances in different types of elastic media

Summary Disturbances generated by pressure on the surface of a spherical cavity inside (i) a dispersive medium, (ii) a medium having transverse isotropy about the radius vector have been considered. Finally, a brief discussion of the propagation of waves in visco-elastic media has been added.I wish to express my gratefulness to Professor B. B.Sen, for his kind help in the preparation of the paper.     

Zur Frage der Geoelektrischen Blitzgefährdung

Zusammenfassung Der Verfasser untersucht das Problem, ob die Einschlagstelle des Blitzes auch durch die geoelektrische Bodenbeschaffenheit mitbestimmt ist. Zur Untersuchung dieser Frage wurden bisher Modellversuche, mathematische Berechnungen und Auswertungen der Statistik herangezogen. Der Verfasser kommt durch die Auswertung einer umfangreichen Blitzschlagstatistik, die für österreich angelegt wurde, zu dem Ergebnis, dass es ausgedehnte Gebiete gibt, die wegen ihrer besonderen geoelektrischen Bodenbeschaffenheit stark blitzgefährdet sind und dass auch begrenzte Zonen dieser Art, die sogenannten « Blitznester » existieren.

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Summary The author investigates the problem whether certain places of the ground are especially often struck by lightning and whether this effect is caused by the geoelectrical nature of the underground. By examining a great number of results obtained in Austria the author comes to the solution that the question of the existance of the so-called « lightning nests » must be answered in the affirmative.

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Aus einem Referat auf dem 4. Internationalen Blitzschutzkongress 1956 in Meran.     

Visible electrical discharges inside thunderclouds

Summary Lightning discharge streamers are occasionally visible inside and above the base of isolated convection thunderclouds. Two photographs of such a transparent cloud are discussed. They show that the negatively charged region reaches to an altitude of 8 km and has a horizontal width of about 8 km.     

On the great and abrupt falls of air temperature in Athens

Summary This note deals with the great and abrupt falls of air temperature in Athens which occur especially during the cold season of the year. The frequency of these falls, the greatest falls noted per month and the weather situations associated with these falls are examined separately. It was found that the weather situations which cause the great falls of air temperature in Greece can be classified in four categories:A, B, C andD. In theA belong the anticyclones of N and NW Europe both moving and not. TheB comprises the extensions of the anticyclone of the Azorez over Europe. In theC belong the extension of the Russian anticyclones and theD comprises the cold fronts of depressions moving from W to E.     

The constant temperature-sum as a basis for forecasting flowering date

Summary Hertlein's thesis is discussed and criticized on points where apparently significance is attached to results which require stronger statistical proofs.     

Sulle formule per le osservazioni di differente precisione sopra una medesima grandezza e sulla compensazione rigorosa di misure miste lineari e angolari

Riassunto L'A., partendo dal principio che un sistema di osservazioni di diversa precisione è riducibile a un sistema di osservazioni di uguale precisione, propone una nuova formula per la valutazione dell'errore medio dell'unità di peso. Tale formula non si annulla nel caso di misure che, pur essendo di peso diverso, sono uguali fra loro. — Nella seconda parte l'A. avanza l'ipotesi che un aspetto geometrico della compensazione di misure miste sia quello di trasformare una figura in un'altra, soddisfacente prefissate condizioni, con un minimo di deformazione; ritiene che tale minimo possa anche non essere dato da una combinazione lineare dei quadrati degli errori lineari e angolari.

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Summary Basing himself on the principle that a system of observations of different precision may be reduced to a system of observations of the same precision, the Author proposes a new formula for a valuation of the standard error of the weight unit. Such formula is not nullified in case of measurements which, though of different weights, are equal. — In the second part the Author puts forward the hypothesis that a geometric aspect of the compensation of different kinds of measures, is of transforming a figure, wich satisfies given conditions, into another by the least deformation. He believes that such least deformation may be obtained without making a linear combination of linear and angular squared errors.

     

Atmospheric electrical measurements in the Hawaiian islands

Summary An exploration of the electrical properties of the atmosphere on and above the island of Hawaii, as indicated by a portable corona current unit, is described. A 30 foot telescopic mast having a radioactive probe mounted on an insulated bushing and connected by shielded cable to a sensitive microammeter was used. Corona currents were measured at a number of geographic locations ranging from sea level under conditions of heavy surf to the 10,000 foot level on Mauna Kea several thousand feet above the exchange layer, and over the land and ocean in a light plane. Observations were made under clear, cloudy and rainy conditions. Fair weather and cloudy conditions gave currents from air to earth of positive sign. With warm rain falling the currents had a negative sign and increased in value with intensity of precipitation. In several instances indications of incipient discharges similar to that observed in mild lightningstorms were noted.The island of Hawaii has many desirable features to recommend it for an extensive research program in atmospheric electricity. A simple and inexpensive approach to inaugurating such a program is suggested.     

Beitrag zur Kenntnis indischer Laterite

Zusammenfassung Es wurden zwei indische Lateritprofile untersucht. Die Lateritproben wurden soweit unverfestigt, in Korngrößenklassen zerlegt. Mit röntgenographischen. differentialthermoanalytischen und optischen Methoden wurde der Mineralbestand quantitativ bestimmt. Die Änderungen des Mineralbestandes und die Änderungen der Mineralverteilung wurde in den Lateritprofilen verfolgt.Die Lateritprofile sind auf quarzhaltigen Gesteinen, einem grobkörnigen Granit und einem feinkörnigen Quarz-Glimmer-Sandstein, entstanden. Als Ursache der Lateritbildung ist bei beiden Profilen die Verwitterung und Kaolinisierung des Ausgangsgesteins anzusehen. Bei dem Granit wurden die Feldspäte sowie die Hornblende und der Biotit, bei dem Sandstein wurde der Muskowit kaolinisiert. Der Quarz wurde mehr oder weniger stark korrodiert.Durch die Anreicherung von oxydischen und hydroxydischen Eisenmineralen in bestimmten Zonen der Verwitterungsprofile kam es zur Ausbildung typischer Lateritprofile mit konkretionsführenden bzw. pisolithischen Horizonten. Die Anreicherung von Eisenmineralen in diesen Horizonten ist durch Zufuhr von Eisen aus Verwittrungslösungen erfolgt. Das Eisen entstammt bei dem ersten Profil den verwitternden eisenhaltigen Mineralen des Granites, der Hornblende und dem Biotit. Bei dem zweiten Profil ist die Herkunft des Eisens aus verwitternden hämatitreichen Rindern des Sandsteines abzuleiten. An hydroxydischen Aluminiummineralen sind in beiden Lateritprofilen nur geringe Mengen Diaspur vorhanden.Auflösung von Kaolinit, Wanderung der Kaolinsubstanz und Neubildung von Fireclaymineral wurde in beiden Profilen nachgewiesen.