Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Report on the Present State of Our Knowledge, Respecting the General Circulation of the Atmosphere: Presented to the Meteorological Congress at Chicago, August, 1893
But if, as Ferrel wished, we apply the law of conservation of areas to these currents, their existence becomes extremely difficult of comprehension. At great heights friction is very small, so that the velocities ought to approach the theoretical ones; from which it results that there must be a very considerable s10pe in order to overcome centrifugal effects.
Now, one finds oneself in this dilemma - Either the elevation of the air necessary at the equator in order to produce this slope is due to a dynamic effect, and then the pressure at the equator ought to be very great in the lower regions, in consequence of the considerable mass of air which rises there; or the elevation is due to a difference of density, and then it is necessary that there should exist a difference of temperature between the equator and the pole which is not observed on the globe, or indeed that the currents should be produced at an enormous height.
M. Moller has, in fact, shown that it is necessary, in addition to the ?attening of the globe, that the air should fall more than 21 kilometres in order to permit it to reach Now, the difference of temperature between the equator and the poles scarcely gives a fall of 900 metres at the height of metres. It would therefore be necessary that the current directed towards the pole should be at an enormous height, in order that the effect of the equatorial heating should produce the necessary difference of elevation, which is that of at least 21 kilometres.
I leave these re?ections for the consideration of meteorologists, and I think that my reservation as to these currents will be approved.
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