The International Geophysical Year and Some American Aspects of itAuthor(s): Sydney ChapmanSource: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,Vol. 40, No. 10 (Oct. 15, 1954), pp. 924-926Published by: National Academy of SciencesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/89350 .

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AMERICAN ASPECTS OF IT

BY SYDNEY CHAPMAN*

OXFORD UNIVERSITY

As far as I know, this is the first meeting devoted by a national academy of ence to public discussion of the International Geophysical Year. We believe at mankind the world over will reap many benefits from this great enterprise. It cur duty to gain for it the interest and approval of the community, which directly d indirectly will provide the resources for it. We must help the public, both neral and scientific, to understand our purposes and our plans; past experience ows that by so doing we may evoke valuable new ideas for our program. At Rome next September I hope to speak especially on the international aspects the Geophysical Year. At this meeting it is natural for me to dwell more on some nerican aspects of the undertaking. The Geophysical Year is the child and the grandchild of two earlier great inter- tional enterprises, the first and second International Polar Years. The proposal r the first of these, in 1882-1883, is ascribed to an Austrian arctic scientist, Wey- echt. The second, fifty years later, was suggested by Georgi in Hamburg. The oposal for a third Polar Year, not fifty but twenty-five years after the second, ts made by Lloyd Berkner in April, 1950, to a small group, meeting socially, at vver Spring, Maryland. In 1950 and 1951 this proposal was brought before four international scientific dies, including the Unions for Scientific Radio (URSI), Astronomy, and Geodesy d Geophysics. All of them indorsed it, and the proposal was amplified and recom- ended to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Meeting re at the Academy in October, 1951, the International Council approved the commendations and decided to appoint an international committee to develop e plans for the enterprise. The committee, at first very small, was appointed in ay, 1952, when invitations also were issued to the member nations of the Inter- tional Council, and to Russia, to form national committees to plan their part in e work. Later in 1952 the International Council widened the scope and title of e enterprise, which became the International Geophysical Year. During 1952 and the first half of 1953, the international unions concerned in the ,ophysical Year, the World Meteorological Organization, and many individual tions appointed committees and prepared preliminary programs. The inter- tional committee for the Geophysical Year met late in 1952 and decided that the 'ear" should extend from August (now changed to July), 1957, to December, 58, inclusive. The committee met again, much enlarged, in July, 1953, to con- ler the preliminary programs sent to it by the national and international bodies antioned and to formulate a provisional international plan. Later in 1953 the orld Meteorological Organization definitely decided to participate in the Inter- tional Geophysical Year. Since then, the national committees have been revising and developing their tional programs, having regard to the provisional international plans. During e coming summer these programs will be considered by the international special- ;d bodies, each of which will report on them as regards its particular field of

924

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ence. Next October the international committee will review all these programs d reports and issue a revised international plan. Four years have now passed since the new Geophysical Year was first suggested. ogress has at times seemed slow and halting, but the beginning of the Geophysical ar is still more than three years away. Our plans are unquestionably much more vanced than were those for Polar Year II, three years before August, 1932, when began. Only in one major respect is the situation less assured than it was for lar Year II, namely, as regards the co-operation of Russia. Alike under czar d soviet, Russia took its full part in the two Polar Years. But there is still hope i still time for the participation of Russia in the International Geophysical ar; the international committee for Polar Year II did not meet until two years iore that Year began; its first meeting was, in fact, held in Leningrad. 3ur gathering today is a forward-looking one; but I would call briefly to your Lice something of the past, of Polar Years I and II. Few of those who took part Polar Year I lived on for fifty years to see the Second Polar Year: but there are ny with us today who were active in Polar Year II. Polar Year II fell into great jeopardy less than a year before it was due to start. ,ause of the economic depression which had spread over the world. Prophets of lew depression are abroad today. We hope that time will continue to belie their ebodings. But should these in any measure come to pass, let us remember with at obstinate courage the doubting and fainthearted were withstood by La Cour Denmark, the leader for Polar Year II. The program was not postponed or undoned, as was urged by some, but was brought to triumphant success.

The scope of Polar Year II was widened, only fifteen months before the Year gan, when Appleton, then president of the URSI, proposed the inclusion of iono- leric observations in the program. In the coming Geophysical Year this will be 3 of the leading divisions of the enterprise. [n this country the foremost leader for Polar Year II was John A. Fleming, who s a tower of strength to the enterprise, nationally and internationally. He is now nember of your National Committee for the Geophysical Year, but for reasons of tlth he is not with us. His presence in this city and at this meeting is greatly ssed. With Nicholas IIeck, who passed away only this year, Fleming prompted

reoccupation during Polar Year II of Point Barrow, which was the United Ites arctic magnetic and meteorological station during Polar Year I; an additional ,gnetic observatory was set up on the campus of what is now the University Alaska, at College, near Fairbanks. Fleming won the co-operation of President nnell of that university also in the institution of an ionospheric station on the npus; there the radio-pulse method devised by Breit and Tuve was applied by rkner, using the pioneer automatic recorder he himself had designed, to investi- Ie the ionosphere. rhis led later to the endowment of the University of Alaska by the United stes Congress with a fine building for a geophysical institute, which has been, I during the Geophysical Year and afterward will be, an important center of tic geophysical research. This is one of many examples showing how these vcial world efforts stimulate better permanent provision for the study of the earth, hough much of the additional effort is temporary. 'he instruments used in Polar Year II included the radiosonde, then newly de-

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loped; but both radiosondes and magnetic recorders were not available for use in my countries in the much increased numbers needed. This serious situation was ieved, only shortly before the Year began, by a generous grant from the Rocke- ler Foundation, which thereby greatly helped the whole enterprise. Many of the ,orders have continued to be used on expeditions and at new permanent observa- -ies since Polar Year II ended. In the coming Geophysical Year there will be further kinds and new means of

servations, such as cosmic rays, geodetic observations of the moon, and rockets d rockoons (balloon-launched rockets) for exploring the upper atmosphere and the ar rays. The observations made during a Polar or Geophysical Year, however, when com- ated, important though they are, only open a new phase of the enterprise--their alysis and discussion. After Polar Year II ended, another Rockefeller grant was ide for these purposes and to set up a central library of archives and provide a )liography of the whole undertaking. After La Cour's death in 1942, Fleming came the leader in these further organizing stages, which he brought to a formal nclusion at the end of 1950, with the co-operation of Laursen, of Denmark. The )liography provides an impressive indication of the extent of the observations and a results of their analysis. But that harvest was not and still is not fully reaped; d even from Polar Year I there are useful gleanings yet to come. Let us bear these things in mind while we hear of the more widely branching ins prepared for the coming International Geophysical Year.

President, IUGG and President, ICSU Comite Special Annee Geophysique Internationale. -sent address: New York University, New York, New York.

THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR

BY JOSEPH KAPLAN*

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

The scientific program of the International Geophysical Year has several impor- nt general characteristics which willbe described before attention is called to specific ojects. With careful planning, thorough review, and international co-operation, is hoped that significant advances will be made toward the solutions of some of r most puzzling geophysical problems. The dates as well as the places of obser- ,tion were selected with the above goal in mind. Because the sun is the key to

any important geophysical processes, especially those related to weather and tele-

mmunications, the period of observations was selected to coincide with the in- eased probability, as we approach the sunspot maximum, of occurrence of solar res and other solar disturbances. The selection of the places of observations was also made with the sun and its

creasing activity during this period as one of the determining factors. In addition

electromagnetic radiation, the sun emits high-speed particles, whose kinematics e intimately related to the earth's magnetic field. The incidence of solar electro-

agnetic radiation on the earth also depends on time and place. Consequently,

loped; but both radiosondes and magnetic recorders were not available for use in my countries in the much increased numbers needed. This serious situation was ieved, only shortly before the Year began, by a generous grant from the Rocke- ler Foundation, which thereby greatly helped the whole enterprise. Many of the ,orders have continued to be used on expeditions and at new permanent observa- -ies since Polar Year II ended. In the coming Geophysical Year there will be further kinds and new means of

servations, such as cosmic rays, geodetic observations of the moon, and rockets d rockoons (balloon-launched rockets) for exploring the upper atmosphere and the ar rays. The observations made during a Polar or Geophysical Year, however, when com- ated, important though they are, only open a new phase of the enterprise--their alysis and discussion. After Polar Year II ended, another Rockefeller grant was ide for these purposes and to set up a central library of archives and provide a )liography of the whole undertaking. After La Cour's death in 1942, Fleming came the leader in these further organizing stages, which he brought to a formal nclusion at the end of 1950, with the co-operation of Laursen, of Denmark. The )liography provides an impressive indication of the extent of the observations and a results of their analysis. But that harvest was not and still is not fully reaped; d even from Polar Year I there are useful gleanings yet to come. Let us bear these things in mind while we hear of the more widely branching ins prepared for the coming International Geophysical Year.

President, IUGG and President, ICSU Comite Special Annee Geophysique Internationale. -sent address: New York University, New York, New York.

THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM OF THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR

BY JOSEPH KAPLAN*

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES

The scientific program of the International Geophysical Year has several impor- nt general characteristics which willbe described before attention is called to specific ojects. With careful planning, thorough review, and international co-operation, is hoped that significant advances will be made toward the solutions of some of r most puzzling geophysical problems. The dates as well as the places of obser- ,tion were selected with the above goal in mind. Because the sun is the key to

any important geophysical processes, especially those related to weather and tele-

mmunications, the period of observations was selected to coincide with the in- eased probability, as we approach the sunspot maximum, of occurrence of solar res and other solar disturbances. The selection of the places of observations was also made with the sun and its

creasing activity during this period as one of the determining factors. In addition

electromagnetic radiation, the sun emits high-speed particles, whose kinematics e intimately related to the earth's magnetic field. The incidence of solar electro-

agnetic radiation on the earth also depends on time and place. Consequently,

This content downloaded from 169.229.32.136 on Wed, 7 May 2014 11:38:03 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions