Those who are already acquainted with, the science of meteorology will
need no words of mine to show that the greatest share of whatever value
this book may contain comes from my having studied and followed the work
of the late Professor William Ferrel of Washington. To his remarkable
insight and ingenious analysis we owe the best part of the understanding
of general atmospheric processes that has yet been reached. Those who
here first come to know something of the science of the atmosphere, and
who are perhaps thus brought to desire further acquaintance with it,
should not fail to study TTerrePs Popular Treatise on the Winds, in
which his more mathematical essays are reduced to a simpler form. Yet
after Ferrel, an almost equal indebtedness must be acknowledged to
Professor Julius Hann of Vienna, from whose broad and accurate studies I
have found assistance at every turn. His Klimatologie, the standard work
of the kind, and his numerous special articles, have furnished me with
much information as well as with many well-defined examples of
meteorological conditions and processes. The names of many other
meteorologists to whom acknowledgment is due come to mind while revising
the pages of this book, which presents the condensed results of my
reading, observing and teaching during the last fifteen years. Some of
these names are mentioned on the appropriate pages, but in general-1
have not attempted to make explicit reference to the sources of
information that have been consulted, believing that in a school book,
as this is primarily intended to be, such references are not of much
value, especially as they too commonly lead to so m es of information
inaccessible in school libraries. A personal acknowledgment must,
however, be made here to Mr. H. H. Clayton, of Blue Hill Observatory,
for assistance in connection with the chapter on clouds to Mr. Alexander
McAdie, of the Weather Bureau in Washington, for his advice in the
sections on atmospheric electricity and to Mr. E. DeC. Ward, successor
of Professor Harrington as editor of the American Meteorological
Journal, for many suggestions in connection with the teaching of
meteorology, in which he has for some years been associated with me in
Harvard College. IV PREFACE. There are certain books to which the
teacher and the independent student should, if possible, have access.
Besides the works by Ferrel and Harm, above named, the list should
include Abercrombys Weather New York, 1887, Blanfords Climates and
Weather of India London, 1889, Buchaus article on Meteorology in the
ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica and his essay on
Atmospheric Circulation, with its elaborate series of isothermal and
isobaric charts for every month in the year, in a volume of the report
on the Challenger Expedition London, 1889 unfortunately, only a small
edition of this great work has been published, and its cost is
comparatively high, Eliots Handbook of Cyclones in the, Bay of Bengal
Calcutta, 1890, Greelys American Weather New York, 1888, Scotts
Elementary Meteorology London, 1885, Sprungs LeJtrbuch der Meteorologie
Hamburg, 1885 the best elementary mathematical statement of the subject,
and Waldos Modern Meteorology New York, 1893. The meteorological section
of Berghaus Physische Atlas Gotha, 1887, will he found of much
assistance. Abbes translation of foreign meteorological memoirs,
recently published by the Smithsonian Institution, will be useful to
those who are proficient in mathematical physics, as indicating the
direction of advanced research in meteorology by the best European
investigators...
