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Smithsonian at the Poles: Contributions to International Polar

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4 SMITHSONIAN AT THE POLES / FLEMING AND SEITCHEK<br />

Public demand for we<strong>at</strong>her-rel<strong>at</strong>ed inform<strong>at</strong>ion worldwide<br />

led <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> establishment of many n<strong>at</strong>ional services by<br />

<strong>the</strong> 1870s. In <strong>the</strong> United St<strong>at</strong>es, <strong>the</strong> Army Signal Offi ce was<br />

assigned this task and soon <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> lead in intern<strong>at</strong>ional<br />

cooper<strong>at</strong>ion. In 1873, <strong>the</strong> U.S. proposed th<strong>at</strong> all n<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

prepare an intern<strong>at</strong>ional series of simultaneous observ<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

<strong>to</strong> aid <strong>the</strong> study of world clim<strong>at</strong>ology and we<strong>at</strong>her<br />

p<strong>at</strong>terns. This suggestion led <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bulletin of Intern<strong>at</strong>ional<br />

Simultaneous Observ<strong>at</strong>ions, which contained worldwide<br />

synoptic charts and summaries of observ<strong>at</strong>ions recorded<br />

<strong>at</strong> numerous loc<strong>at</strong>ions around <strong>the</strong> world (Figure 3) (Myer,<br />

1874:505). Beginning in 1871, <strong>the</strong> U.S. N<strong>at</strong>ional We<strong>at</strong>her<br />

Service issued daily forecasts, heightening public expect<strong>at</strong>ions<br />

th<strong>at</strong> we<strong>at</strong>her could be known— and in some cases,<br />

prepared for— in advance. The increasing density and geographic<br />

extent of inform<strong>at</strong>ion becoming available in meteo-<br />

FIGURE 3. Intern<strong>at</strong>ional Synoptic Chart: Observ<strong>at</strong>ions cover <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Hemisphere, except for <strong>the</strong> oceans and polar regions. Dashed lines<br />

indic<strong>at</strong>e projected or interpol<strong>at</strong>ed d<strong>at</strong>a. Source: U.S. Army Signal Offi ce, Bulletin of Intern<strong>at</strong>ional Meteorology, 28 January 1884.

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