The Physical Basis for the General Circulation
Victor P. Starr · American Meteorological Society eBooks · 1951
Since time immemorial man has inescapably observed the atmosphere in which he lives and has his being. It would therefore seem reasonable to expect that at the present date the science of meteorology should be one of the most advanced fields of human endeavor. Yet, if a distinction is made between the mere collection of descriptive facts of observation on the one hand and interpretative work which aims to give a rational intellectual understanding of phenomena on the other, it must be confessed that our knowledge concerning the large-scale motions of the atmosphere is restricted mostly to the former category of information. Thus, for example, no one has as yet given a satisfactory rational explanation for one of the most outstanding features of the general circulation, namely the large belts of westerly winds in the temperate latitudes of each hemisphere. However, it must be recognized that it is only in the last few decades that anything approaching sufficiently complete global observations for the checking of hypotheses regarding the general circulation has become available, so that progress at a more accelerated pace should now be forthcoming. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.