Referee's report by Charles Chree, on a paper 'The vertical temperature gradient on the west coast of Scotland and at Oxshott, Surrey' by William Henry Dines

Description

Sectional Committee: Physics and Chemistry

Chree thinks that after the reconsideration by the author of several points, the paper should be printed somewhere, but 'hardly' thinks it should appear in the 'Transactions'. Depending on where it is published, parts of the paper could be shortened. The paper could be considerably condensed. The data in the tables, especially table D, might be presented in a much more economical space. The illustrations, at least figure one, are more or less essential. In the prevailing ignorance as to free air temperatures over Great Britain the paper may be worth publishing in full. The results represent the expenditure of a considerable sum of money and the devotion of a considerable amount of time and ingenuity on the part of Dines, but the number of observations seems insufficient to justify any great confidence in the finality of the conclusions reached. The comparison of temperatures at the top of Ben Nevis and at the same level over the sea discloses results very different from those obtained by the author at a similar season of the year in 1902 and 1903, and the discussion of the point seems unconvincing. In view of doubts that may arise from the fact that the results in 1904 were obtained with a new form of meteorograph, the author should explain the grounds for believing that the older and newer apparatus, when used in the free air, give accordant results. Table C deals with temperature gradients in different types of weather, the author's conclusions on these results seem to imply that all the differences between different types of weather shown in table 'C' may be due to chance. This seems in harmony with remarks on page 14, but near the foot of page 13 conclusions are drawn as to certain differences between different weather types. The authors real view should be more clearly expressed and any apparent inconsistency removed. The author uses 'gradient' in more than once sense and should provide formal explanations for the British meteorological signs used.

[Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, 1906].

Endorsed on verso as received 19 December 1905.

Reference number

RR/16/299

Earliest possible date

December 1905

Physical description

Standardised form (type A) and notes on paper

Page extent

6 pages

Format

Manuscript