Abstract. The main priority of the first of James Cook's famous voyages of discovery was the observation of the transit of Venus at Tahiti. Following that, he was ordered to embark on a search for new lands in the South Pacific Ocean. Cook had instructions to record as many aspects of the environment as possible at each place that he visited, including the character of the tide. This paper makes an assessment of the quality of Cook's tidal observations using modern knowledge of the tide, and with an assumption that no major tidal changes have taken place during the past two and half centuries. We conclude that Cook's tidal measurements were accurate in general to about 0.5 ft (15 cm) in height and 0.5 h in time. Those of his findings which are less consistent with modern insight can be explained by the short stays of the Endeavour at some places. Cook's measurements were good enough (or unique enough) to be included in global compilations of tidal information in the 18th century and were used in the 19th century in the construction of the first worldwide tidal atlases. In most cases, they support Cook's reputation as a good observer of the environment.
{"title":"The tidal measurements of James Cook during the voyage of the Endeavour","authors":"P. Woodworth, Glen H. Rowe","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-85-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-85-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The main priority of the first of James Cook's famous voyages of discovery\u0000was the observation of the transit of Venus at Tahiti. Following that, he was\u0000ordered to embark on a search for new lands in the South Pacific Ocean. Cook had\u0000instructions to record as many aspects of the environment as possible at each\u0000place that he visited, including the character of the tide. This paper makes\u0000an assessment of the quality of Cook's tidal observations using modern\u0000knowledge of the tide, and with an assumption that no major tidal changes\u0000have taken place during the past two and half centuries. We conclude that\u0000Cook's tidal measurements were accurate in general to about 0.5 ft (15 cm) in height\u0000and 0.5 h in time. Those of his findings which are less consistent with\u0000modern insight can be explained by the short stays of the Endeavour\u0000at some places. Cook's measurements were good enough (or unique enough) to be\u0000included in global compilations of tidal information in the 18th century and\u0000were used in the 19th century in the construction of the first worldwide\u0000tidal atlases. In most cases, they support Cook's reputation as a good\u0000observer of the environment.\u0000","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46205878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. In a primary documentary source we found an early record of ball lightning (BL), which was observed in the monastery of Pi (Oliva, southeastern Spain) on 18 October 1619. The ball lightning was observed by at least three people and was described as a “rolling burning vessel” and a “ball of fire”. The ball lightning appeared following a lightning flash, showed a mainly horizontal motion, crossed a wall, smudged an image of the Lady of Rebollet (then known as Lady of Pi) and burnt her ruff, and overturned a cross.
{"title":"An early record of ball lightning: Oliva (Spain), 1619","authors":"F. Domínguez‐Castro","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-79-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-79-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In a primary documentary source we found an early record of ball lightning\u0000(BL), which was observed in the monastery of Pi (Oliva, southeastern Spain)\u0000on 18 October 1619. The ball lightning was observed by at least three people\u0000and was described as a “rolling burning vessel” and a “ball of fire”. The\u0000ball lightning appeared following a lightning flash, showed a mainly\u0000horizontal motion, crossed a wall, smudged an image of the Lady of Rebollet\u0000(then known as Lady of Pi) and burnt her ruff, and overturned a cross.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44072898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. This paper consists of a review of the important contributions of four COST (European Co-operation in Science and Technology) Actions in the period 1991–2009 to terrestrial ionospheric research, with applications in modern communication and navigation systems. Within this context, new ionospheric studies were initiated, leading to the development of a number of models, algorithms for prediction, forecasting, and real-time specification, as well as numerical programs. These were successfully implemented in different collaborative projects within EU instruments, promoting co-operation between scientists and researchers across Europe. A further outcome was to bring together more than a hundred researchers from around 40 scientific institutions, agencies, and academia in about 25 countries worldwide. They collaborated with enthusiasm in research, as briefly described in this paper, forming a lively ionospheric community and presenting a strong intellectual response to the rapidly growing contemporary challenge of space weather research.
{"title":"The role of COST Actions in unifying the European ionospheric community in the transition between the two millennia","authors":"B. Zolesi, L. Cander","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-65-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-65-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. This paper consists of a review of the important contributions of four COST (European Co-operation in Science and Technology) Actions in the period 1991–2009 to terrestrial ionospheric research, with applications in modern communication and navigation systems. Within this context, new ionospheric studies were initiated, leading to the development of a number of models, algorithms for prediction, forecasting, and real-time specification, as well as numerical programs. These were successfully implemented in different collaborative projects within EU instruments, promoting co-operation between scientists and researchers across Europe. A further outcome was to bring together more than a hundred researchers from around 40 scientific institutions, agencies, and academia in about 25 countries worldwide. They collaborated with enthusiasm in research, as briefly described in this paper, forming a lively ionospheric community and presenting a strong intellectual response to the rapidly growing contemporary challenge of space weather research.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46262495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The Ionospheric Prediction Service (IPS) was formed in 1947 to provide monthly prediction services for high frequency (HF) radio, in particular to support HF communications with the United Kingdom. It was quickly recognized that to be effective such a service also had to provide advice when ionospheric storms prevented HF communications from taking place. With the advent of the International Geophysical Year (IGY), short-term forecasts were also required for research programmes and the task of supplying the Australian input to these was given to Frank Cook, of the IPS, while Jack Turner, also of the IPS, supervised the generation of ionospheric maps to support high latitude HF communications. These two important IGY activities formed the platform on which all future IPS services would be built. This paper reviews the development of the Australian Space Forecast Centre (ASFC), which arose from these early origins.
{"title":"The development of the Australian Space Forecast Centre (ASFC)","authors":"P. Wilkinson, J. Kennewell, D. Cole","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-53-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-53-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The Ionospheric Prediction Service (IPS) was formed in 1947 to provide\u0000monthly prediction services for high frequency (HF) radio, in particular to\u0000support HF communications with the United Kingdom. It was quickly recognized\u0000that to be effective such a service also had to provide advice when\u0000ionospheric storms prevented HF communications from taking place. With the\u0000advent of the International Geophysical Year (IGY), short-term forecasts were\u0000also required for research programmes and the task of supplying the Australian\u0000input to these was given to Frank Cook, of the IPS, while Jack Turner, also of the IPS, supervised the generation of ionospheric maps to support high latitude\u0000HF communications. These two important IGY activities formed the platform on\u0000which all future IPS services would be built. This paper reviews the\u0000development of the Australian Space Forecast Centre (ASFC), which\u0000arose from these early origins.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45187328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The work and achievements of the Regional Warning Center Darmstadt at the Research Institute of the Deutsche Bundespost in Darmstadt, Germany, are briefly reviewed. After privatisation of the Deutsche Bundespost (now Deutsche Telekom) in 1993, research in HF propagation and hence the RWC was disbanded.
{"title":"The Regional Warning Center Darmstadt (from the 1960s until 1993)","authors":"T. Damboldt","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-49-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-49-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The work and achievements of the Regional Warning Center Darmstadt at the Research Institute of the Deutsche Bundespost in Darmstadt, Germany, are briefly reviewed. After privatisation of the Deutsche Bundespost (now Deutsche Telekom) in 1993, research in HF propagation and hence the RWC was disbanded.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47356087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Han He, Huaning Wang, Z. Du, Xin Huang, Yan Yan, Xinghua Dai, Juanhong Guo, Jialong Wang
Abstract. Solar-terrestrial prediction services in China began in 1969 at the Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In 1990, BAO joined the International URSIgram and World Days Service (IUWDS) and started solar-terrestrial data and prediction interchanges with other members of IUWDS. The short-term solar activity prediction service with standard URSIgram codes began in January 1991 at BAO, and forecasts have been issued routinely every weekday from then on. The Regional Warning Center Beijing (RWC-Beijing) of IUWDS was officially approved in China in 1991 and was formally established in February 1992. In 1996, the IUWDS was changed to the current name, the International Space Environment Service (ISES). In 2000, the RWC-Beijing was renamed RWC-China according to ISES requirements. In 2001, the National Astronomical Observatories, CAS (NAOC) was established. All the solar-terrestrial data and prediction services of BAO were taken up by NAOC. The headquarters of RWC-China is located on the campus of NAOC.
{"title":"A brief history of Regional Warning Center China (RWC-China)","authors":"Han He, Huaning Wang, Z. Du, Xin Huang, Yan Yan, Xinghua Dai, Juanhong Guo, Jialong Wang","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-41-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-41-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Solar-terrestrial prediction services in China began in 1969 at the\u0000Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). In\u00001990, BAO joined the International URSIgram and World Days Service (IUWDS)\u0000and started solar-terrestrial data and prediction interchanges with other\u0000members of IUWDS. The short-term solar activity prediction service with\u0000standard URSIgram codes began in January 1991 at BAO, and forecasts have been\u0000issued routinely every weekday from then on. The Regional Warning Center\u0000Beijing (RWC-Beijing) of IUWDS was officially approved in China in 1991 and\u0000was formally established in February 1992. In 1996, the IUWDS was changed to\u0000the current name, the International Space Environment Service (ISES). In\u00002000, the RWC-Beijing was renamed RWC-China according to ISES requirements.\u0000In 2001, the National Astronomical Observatories, CAS (NAOC) was established.\u0000All the solar-terrestrial data and prediction services of BAO were taken up\u0000by NAOC. The headquarters of RWC-China is located on the campus of NAOC.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43985620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Man behind “Degree Celsius”: A Pioneer in Investigating the Earth and its Changes by Martin Ekman is a gem of a little book. It effectively describes not only the scientific discoveries and contributions of Anders Celsius after whom the temperature scale is named, but also how science was conducted in Sweden 300 years ago, the oversized impact of the little university town of Uppsala and its university founded in 1477, and the critical importance of making careful geophysical observations in space and time in advancing knowledge about our Earth. The book starts, not in the year 1701 with the birth of Anders Celsius, but three generations earlier with another Celsius, Anders’ grandfather Magnus Celsius. By doing so, Ekman effectively traces the importance of a scientific family’s genealogy and successive inheritance within the Celsius family of academic positions as astronomers. Anders Celsius’ career started with interests in mathematics, but soon turned to astronomy, which at that time encompassed other fields of geophysics. As early as 1722, Celsius showed a predilection for making and chronicling geophysical observations and had begun to accumulate important time series of meteorological data including temperature and pressure. In 1730, at age 29, and after years of unpaid work as an assistant, Celsius was appointed professor of astronomy at the University of Uppsala. With his professorship came an opportunity for a tour abroad. Celsius’ tour involved Germany, Italy, France, and England, but was most influenced by his connection to the Paris Observatory, where science was relatively advanced. In Paris he also became involved with the controversy on the shape of the Earth between Newton (who argued for an oblate spheroid flattened at the poles) and Cassini (who argued for a prolate spheroid flattened at the Equator). The controversy was to be solved by making meridian arc measurements at separated latitudes, one at the Equator and the other at a northern site. Celsius suggested a northern Swedish site near the Gulf of Bothnia and was immediately made a member of the expedition. The book goes into considerable, but rewarding, detail on the expedition, including challenges of travelling and living in the north in the early 1700s, the meticulous triangulation measurements, and pendulum gravity measurements. This expedition, as we now know, confirmed that Newton was correct. Back at home in Uppsala, Celsius assumed his role of professor of astronomy and raised money to build the Uppsala Observatory, still standing today. He equipped the observatory with angle instruments, telescopes, thermometers, barometers, magnetic compasses, and in particular a pendulum clock made in London by “the best clock-maker in Europe”. A series of chapters of the book are devoted to broad geophysical studies Celsius conducted that we do not normally associate with his name: precise latitude and longitude mapping in particular for the Uppsala Observatory; measuring g
{"title":"Book review: The Man behind Degree Celsius : A Pioneer in Investigatingthe Earth and its Changes","authors":"D. Chapman","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-39-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-39-2018","url":null,"abstract":"The Man behind “Degree Celsius”: A Pioneer in Investigating the Earth and its Changes by Martin Ekman is a gem of a little book. It effectively describes not only the scientific discoveries and contributions of Anders Celsius after whom the temperature scale is named, but also how science was conducted in Sweden 300 years ago, the oversized impact of the little university town of Uppsala and its university founded in 1477, and the critical importance of making careful geophysical observations in space and time in advancing knowledge about our Earth. The book starts, not in the year 1701 with the birth of Anders Celsius, but three generations earlier with another Celsius, Anders’ grandfather Magnus Celsius. By doing so, Ekman effectively traces the importance of a scientific family’s genealogy and successive inheritance within the Celsius family of academic positions as astronomers. Anders Celsius’ career started with interests in mathematics, but soon turned to astronomy, which at that time encompassed other fields of geophysics. As early as 1722, Celsius showed a predilection for making and chronicling geophysical observations and had begun to accumulate important time series of meteorological data including temperature and pressure. In 1730, at age 29, and after years of unpaid work as an assistant, Celsius was appointed professor of astronomy at the University of Uppsala. With his professorship came an opportunity for a tour abroad. Celsius’ tour involved Germany, Italy, France, and England, but was most influenced by his connection to the Paris Observatory, where science was relatively advanced. In Paris he also became involved with the controversy on the shape of the Earth between Newton (who argued for an oblate spheroid flattened at the poles) and Cassini (who argued for a prolate spheroid flattened at the Equator). The controversy was to be solved by making meridian arc measurements at separated latitudes, one at the Equator and the other at a northern site. Celsius suggested a northern Swedish site near the Gulf of Bothnia and was immediately made a member of the expedition. The book goes into considerable, but rewarding, detail on the expedition, including challenges of travelling and living in the north in the early 1700s, the meticulous triangulation measurements, and pendulum gravity measurements. This expedition, as we now know, confirmed that Newton was correct. Back at home in Uppsala, Celsius assumed his role of professor of astronomy and raised money to build the Uppsala Observatory, still standing today. He equipped the observatory with angle instruments, telescopes, thermometers, barometers, magnetic compasses, and in particular a pendulum clock made in London by “the best clock-maker in Europe”. A series of chapters of the book are devoted to broad geophysical studies Celsius conducted that we do not normally associate with his name: precise latitude and longitude mapping in particular for the Uppsala Observatory; measuring g","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47028145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The influence of the Sun on the Earth is well known, but the extent to which the solar influence permeates the space environment from the solar surface out to the heliopause, beyond the orbit of Pluto, and in particular its effect on terrestrial technological systems, is less familiar. Prior to 1940 research identified some of the many ways solar disturbances could affect, for instance, high-frequency communications. During World War 2, this problem was of practical importance, and solutions, plus the lack of solutions, were highly classified. At the end of the war, sufficient skill had been developed that some countries found it worthwhile to continue to provide forecasts, tailored to their local needs, to mitigate the solar influence on high-frequency communications and to a lesser extent on magnetic observations. There was limited to no exchange of observations and forecasts between national agencies other than the URSIgram (e.g., Davis, 1935) for those who could receive the Morse code transmissions. The proposal that led to the development of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) needed solar forecasting services to carry out a more efficient scientific programme. This led to the development of the concept of a Regional Warning Centre (RWC) and Associate RWC (ARWC). To facilitate the exchange of data between agencies a set of agreed codes were endorsed and were refined throughout the IGY period and subsequently. The RWC and ARWC used local and exchanged data to make forecasts for the forthcoming day, and they were exchanged and the final forecast compiled from these at the US RWC, called the World Warning Agency (WWA), at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA. These and other activities formalized during the IGY are outlined in Shapley (1959). Following the IGY the RWCs were grouped together with a common purpose under the auspices of the International URSIgram and World Day Services (IUWDS) (Simon, 1981). The term “space weather” came into common usage somewhere between 1990 and 1995. It was the common term that recognized the pervasive impact of the Sun and the space environment on man’s activities. To align IUWDS better with the growing field of space weather, in 1996 it was renamed the International Space Environment Services (ISES), which more accurately described its functions. Poppe and Jordan (2006) provide a general summary of these early developments, focusing especially on the US developments. The people responsible for staffing the RWCs prior to and immediately after the IGY have now all retired, and many, possibly most, are dead. In fact, in many cases their successors have also retired. Each RWC will have evolved in a different way: some may have recorded their history already, and others will possibly find it hard to develop a clear vision of these early beginnings. In other cases, countries recognizing the importance of ISES have developed their RWCs more recently. Finally, recognizing the importance of space weather services, all th
{"title":"Preface: History of regional warning centers","authors":"Phil Wilkinson","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-37-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-37-2018","url":null,"abstract":"The influence of the Sun on the Earth is well known, but the extent to which the solar influence permeates the space environment from the solar surface out to the heliopause, beyond the orbit of Pluto, and in particular its effect on terrestrial technological systems, is less familiar. Prior to 1940 research identified some of the many ways solar disturbances could affect, for instance, high-frequency communications. During World War 2, this problem was of practical importance, and solutions, plus the lack of solutions, were highly classified. At the end of the war, sufficient skill had been developed that some countries found it worthwhile to continue to provide forecasts, tailored to their local needs, to mitigate the solar influence on high-frequency communications and to a lesser extent on magnetic observations. There was limited to no exchange of observations and forecasts between national agencies other than the URSIgram (e.g., Davis, 1935) for those who could receive the Morse code transmissions. The proposal that led to the development of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) needed solar forecasting services to carry out a more efficient scientific programme. This led to the development of the concept of a Regional Warning Centre (RWC) and Associate RWC (ARWC). To facilitate the exchange of data between agencies a set of agreed codes were endorsed and were refined throughout the IGY period and subsequently. The RWC and ARWC used local and exchanged data to make forecasts for the forthcoming day, and they were exchanged and the final forecast compiled from these at the US RWC, called the World Warning Agency (WWA), at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA. These and other activities formalized during the IGY are outlined in Shapley (1959). Following the IGY the RWCs were grouped together with a common purpose under the auspices of the International URSIgram and World Day Services (IUWDS) (Simon, 1981). The term “space weather” came into common usage somewhere between 1990 and 1995. It was the common term that recognized the pervasive impact of the Sun and the space environment on man’s activities. To align IUWDS better with the growing field of space weather, in 1996 it was renamed the International Space Environment Services (ISES), which more accurately described its functions. Poppe and Jordan (2006) provide a general summary of these early developments, focusing especially on the US developments. The people responsible for staffing the RWCs prior to and immediately after the IGY have now all retired, and many, possibly most, are dead. In fact, in many cases their successors have also retired. Each RWC will have evolved in a different way: some may have recorded their history already, and others will possibly find it hard to develop a clear vision of these early beginnings. In other cases, countries recognizing the importance of ISES have developed their RWCs more recently. Finally, recognizing the importance of space weather services, all th","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47336417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. John Alan Chalmers made major contributions to atmospheric electricity over almost 40 years spent at Durham University, UK. He is particularly remembered in the atmospheric science community for his accessible and insightful textbook, Atmospheric Electricity, and his work on corona currents, which are still regularly cited. He also supervised over 35 research students. This article discusses his background, scientific contributions, and significant legacy to modern atmospheric science within the context of a long and productive career spent at one of England's principal northern universities.
{"title":"Atmospheric electricity at Durham: the scientific contributions and legacy of J. A. (\"Skip\") Chalmers (1904-1967)","authors":"K. Aplin","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-25-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-25-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. John Alan Chalmers made major contributions to atmospheric electricity over\u0000almost 40 years spent at Durham University, UK. He is particularly remembered\u0000in the atmospheric science community for his accessible and insightful\u0000textbook, Atmospheric Electricity, and his work on corona currents,\u0000which are still regularly cited. He also supervised over 35 research\u0000students. This article discusses his background, scientific contributions,\u0000and significant legacy to modern atmospheric science within the context of a\u0000long and productive career spent at one of England's principal northern\u0000universities.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45821560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The lengths of the coastlines in Ptolemy's Geography are compared with the corresponding values transmitted by other ancient sources, presumably based on some lost periploi (literally "voyages around or circumnavigations", a genre of ancient geographical literature describing coastal itineraries). The comparison reveals a remarkable agreement between them, suggesting that Ptolemy relied much more heavily on these or similar periploi than it used to be thought. Additionally, a possible impact of Ptolemy's erroneous estimate of the circumference of the Earth is investigated. It is argued that this error resulted in two interrelated distortions of the coastal outlines in Ptolemy's Geography. First, the north–south stretches of the coast that were tied to particular latitudes are shown compressed relative to the distances recorded in other sources in roughly the same proportion to which Ptolemy's circumference of the Earth is underestimated relative to the true value. Second, in several cases this compression is compensated by a proportional stretching of the adjacent east–west coastal segments. In particular, these findings suggest a simple explanation for the strange shape of the Caspian Sea in Ptolemy's Geography.
{"title":"The length of coastlines in Ptolemy's Geography and in ancient periploi","authors":"Dmitry A. Shcheglov","doi":"10.5194/HGSS-9-9-2018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/HGSS-9-9-2018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The lengths of the coastlines in Ptolemy's Geography are compared with the corresponding values transmitted by other ancient sources, presumably based on some lost periploi (literally \"voyages around or circumnavigations\", a genre of ancient geographical literature describing coastal itineraries). The comparison reveals a remarkable agreement between them, suggesting that Ptolemy relied much more heavily on these or similar periploi than it used to be thought. Additionally, a possible impact of Ptolemy's erroneous estimate of the circumference of the Earth is investigated. It is argued that this error resulted in two interrelated distortions of the coastal outlines in Ptolemy's Geography. First, the north–south stretches of the coast that were tied to particular latitudes are shown compressed relative to the distances recorded in other sources in roughly the same proportion to which Ptolemy's circumference of the Earth is underestimated relative to the true value. Second, in several cases this compression is compensated by a proportional stretching of the adjacent east–west coastal segments. In particular, these findings suggest a simple explanation for the strange shape of the Caspian Sea in Ptolemy's Geography.","PeriodicalId":48918,"journal":{"name":"History of Geo- and Space Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2018-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45786024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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