On the Atmospheric Changes which Produce Rain and Wind, and the Fluctuations of the Barometer

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J. Weale, 1854 - Meteorology - 400 pages
 

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Page 64 - ... air above described, or that directly towards the equator ; and consequently the wind blows at the extreme edge of the Trades nearly from the east point. As this cool air, however, is drawn nearer to the equator, and comes successively in contact with parallels of latitude moving faster and faster, this constant action of the earth's rapid easterly motion gradually imparts to the superincumbent air the rotatory velocity due to the equatorial regions which it has now reached ; that is to say,...
Page 48 - On the days that the sea-breeze sets in, it generally commences about ten in the morning ; then light and variable, but gradually increasing till one or two in the afternoon. From that time, a steady breeze prevails till near sunset, when it begins to die away ; and soon after the sun is down there...
Page 45 - By manipulating a screen in various ways, so as to cut out the direct action of the sun's rays on the surface of the starfish, Jennings obtained results which point strongly to the view that the "relative intensity of illumination" is the important factor in the determination of the direction of locomotion.
Page 75 - ... not infrequent. To modify the shape of the cranium itself, even supposing any peculiarity were detected, is quite a different matter. It is far easier to rest content with a modification of the headdress, which may be rendered socially distinctive by the application of infinite pains and expense. It is well known that in many parts of the world the head is artificially deformed by compression during infancy. This was notably the case in the Americas. Such practices have obtained and prevail to-day...
Page 37 - ON the south-west coast of Mexico, the fair season, or what is called the summer, though the latitude be north, is from December to May inclusive. During this interval alone it is advisable to navigate the coast, for, in the winter, from June to November inclusive, every part of it is liable to hard gales, tornadoes, or heavy squalls, to calms, to constant deluges of rain, and the most dangerous lightning ; added to which, almost all parts of the coast are, at this time, so unhealthy as to be abandoned...
Page 25 - In the western parts the rains prevail during the months of June, July, August, and part of September ; the season of the west and north-west winds. The adjoining seas are tempestuous, the lands inundated, and the plains converted into wide lakes. At this time the easterly and northerly parts enjoy fine weather. But in October, and the succeeding months, the north winds, in their turn, sweep the...
Page 92 - Early in the morning I climbed up a mountain on one side of the valley, and enjoyed a far extended view over the Pampas. This was a spectacle to which I had always looked forward with interest, but I was disappointed : at the first glance it much resembled a distant view of the ocean, but in the northern parts many irregularities were soon distinguishable. The most striking feature consisted in the rivers, which, facing the rising sun, glittered like silver threads, till lost in the immensity of...
Page 101 - SW quarter assumed a singularly hard and rolled or tufted appearance, like great bales of black cotton, and altered their forms so rapidly that I ordered sail to be shortened, and the top-sails to be furled, leaving set only a small new fore-saiL Gusts of hot wind came off the nearest land at intervals of about a minute. The wind changed quickly, and blew so heavily from the...
Page 64 - ... the air in question; while, at the same time, the other motion of the same air, or that which has a tendency to carry it straight towards the equator, having been exposed merely to the friction along the surface without meeting any such powerful counteracting influence as the earth's rotation, will remain nearly unchecked in its velocity. Thus, as I conceive, the Trade Wind must gradually lose the eastern character which it had on first quitting the temperate for the tropical region, in consequence...
Page 121 - ... top-sails labouring under the force of a storm ; some becalmed, and tossing about, by the violence of the waves ; and others plying under gentle breezes from quarters as diverse as the cardinal points.

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