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Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1933, Page 4

Lecturing at the Royal Institution on the Cork of the British Radio Expedition to the Arctic Circle, Professor E. V.' Appleton said it had two main objects—to discover why wireless waves frequently found it difficut to cross the North Pole, and to study exactly how the sun produced and controlled the electrification in the upper layers of the atmosphere (the Heaviside and Appleton Layers). Both problems, he said, had been solved. He showed records and slides definitely indicating that during magnetic storms, which VKic-unvjd monei .frequently than jnot in Arctic latitudes, electrification at the lowest levels of the Heaviside Layer was increased to such an extent that wireless waves were completely absorbed in this region. In the case of General Nobile’s polar flight in the airship Italia there were two periods separated by about 27 days when wireless communication between the airship and the outside, world} was interrupted. These were periods of intense magnetic activity. The results of the British Radio Expedition therefore clearly, indicated that 'if wireless is to be used in polar exploration note must be taken of this monthly sequence of unfavourable conditions. It would also be advisable to choose a year of suit-spot minimum, and not a year ’of sun-spot maximum as in the case of tile ill-fated Italia expedition iu 1928. since magnetic and wireless disturbances are less marked when the spots on the sun are few.- As rewards the constitution of the layers, there has been acute difference, of opinion—one party saying that the. electrification was -due to fb e ultra-violet- light of th.-> sun, the other that it was due to bombardment of opr bv streams of particles shot cut from the sun. Professor Aivnleton considered that the results obtained showed eonclusiv- ol v that the main cause of the electrification in lmth layers was +he ultra-violet, liwht n f elm sun. and in nvuruetienllv on’ n t (vo. magnetic storms! th’s Putin.’! was fmtuallv l°ss in the Arctic, regions than in England. T’mc; wns.t.o he expected -on the ultr nvtoM- light theo’*- Wnise of the flo.-H-pv onrr-lo at which the sup’s rays Struck the earth near the Poles.