WEATHER FORECASTS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 143, 13 March 1939, Page 10

WEATHER FORECASTS

Antarctic Stations VALUE TO NEW ZEALAND Dominion Special Service. AUCKLAND. March 11. The view that the establishment or meteorological stations in the Antarctic would be of unquestioned benefit io the study of world meteorology and possibly ‘would be of benefit in the day-to-day forecasting of the weather in New Zealand was' expressed by Dr. W. A. Macky, director of the meteorological office in Auckland, in referring to the proposals placed before the Commonwealth Government by Sir Hubert; Wilkins. Sir Hubert proposed that two stations should be established iu the Antarctic and that New Zealand should bear part of the cost. The question had been considered by the regional meteorological conference for tlie South-west Pacific held in Wei lingtou in December, 1937, Dr. Macky said. The point of a resolution passed there was that stations established on the nearer islands such as Macquarie Island would be of greater value in day-to-day forecasting than stations in the Antarctic. “The general study of atmospheric conditions over the whole world would benefit by observations in the Antarctic, but the position is similar to that between Australia and New Zealand, where conditions often undergo a change over the Tasman. A station midway across the Tasman would be or greater value iu local forecasting Iban Sydney,” Dr. Macky said. "We would like to have stations both in the Antarctic and on the nearer islands, in the south, but if there were a choice between tlie two we would prefer tboss nearer homo."