Aitor Anduaga
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562725
- eISBN:
- 9780191721755
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562725.003.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
At the end of World War I, Britain and the US confronted a new décor of forces and power. The conflict had redesigned the geopolitical map. The truth is that the interwar years witnessed a struggle ...
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At the end of World War I, Britain and the US confronted a new décor of forces and power. The conflict had redesigned the geopolitical map. The truth is that the interwar years witnessed a struggle for supremacy between both countries in specific fields, of which the upper atmospheric sciences are an excellent example. In Britain, this was a period of consolidation in the organization of scientific services, as in the application of radio engineering and ionospheric physics. As a result, Britain held a position of leadership that would be increasingly shared with the Dominions, though ultimately discussed—and in part overcome—by the US. The underlying reasons for her supremacy are various. The cohabitation of styles, practices, and research schools was fruitful. Three traditions of long-independent pedigree—mathematical-physics Cambridge school, laboratory-based experimental physics, and Humboldtian-style terrestrial physics—converged and intersected in the interwar years.Less
At the end of World War I, Britain and the US confronted a new décor of forces and power. The conflict had redesigned the geopolitical map. The truth is that the interwar years witnessed a struggle for supremacy between both countries in specific fields, of which the upper atmospheric sciences are an excellent example. In Britain, this was a period of consolidation in the organization of scientific services, as in the application of radio engineering and ionospheric physics. As a result, Britain held a position of leadership that would be increasingly shared with the Dominions, though ultimately discussed—and in part overcome—by the US. The underlying reasons for her supremacy are various. The cohabitation of styles, practices, and research schools was fruitful. Three traditions of long-independent pedigree—mathematical-physics Cambridge school, laboratory-based experimental physics, and Humboldtian-style terrestrial physics—converged and intersected in the interwar years.
Aitor Anduaga
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562725
- eISBN:
- 9780191721755
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562725.003.0003
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
The development of radio and ionospheric physics in Australia is inseparable from that of the Empire. But specific circumstances of time and place, however, coloured local advances in different ways. ...
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The development of radio and ionospheric physics in Australia is inseparable from that of the Empire. But specific circumstances of time and place, however, coloured local advances in different ways. As in Britain, two deep-seated research traditions converged in Australia. The British influence on these fields reached its peak in the early stages and then suffered a continued decline. But in this regression the Australian community showed a mixture of longing for rivalry and a certain traditional veneration for British scientific authority, in contrast to increasingly profound respect for American technological expertise. Before nationhood was achieved in Australia, the modest community of radiophysicists managed to reconcile a sense of nationality with the openness to international stimulus, beyond the imperial horizon. The transit from a dependent Dominion towards independence had, therefore, its scientific echoes.Less
The development of radio and ionospheric physics in Australia is inseparable from that of the Empire. But specific circumstances of time and place, however, coloured local advances in different ways. As in Britain, two deep-seated research traditions converged in Australia. The British influence on these fields reached its peak in the early stages and then suffered a continued decline. But in this regression the Australian community showed a mixture of longing for rivalry and a certain traditional veneration for British scientific authority, in contrast to increasingly profound respect for American technological expertise. Before nationhood was achieved in Australia, the modest community of radiophysicists managed to reconcile a sense of nationality with the openness to international stimulus, beyond the imperial horizon. The transit from a dependent Dominion towards independence had, therefore, its scientific echoes.
Aitor Anduaga
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562725
- eISBN:
- 9780191721755
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562725.001.1
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
This book describes the complex relations between wireless and the British Empire, and draws on an broad range of unpublished manuscripts and original printed texts found in an large diversity of ...
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This book describes the complex relations between wireless and the British Empire, and draws on an broad range of unpublished manuscripts and original printed texts found in an large diversity of archives and national contexts (Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand). The book also investigates the intimate relationship between the upper atmospheric sciences on the one hand, and structural factors (such as radio industry, technical education, and geopolitics) on the other. As an original feature, the book follows a pattern in which certain categories transit in parallel throughout the historical episode. The metaphor of a thread of five pieces representing the categories ‘science’, ‘industry’, ‘government’, ‘the military’, and ‘education’ serves to describe its thematic structure. The book examines the contribution of imperial defence, commercial companies, and academic traditions in promoting atmospheric sciences, a branch of research in which Britain was to lead the world. Attention is also given to the gradual displacementfrom long-wave to short-wave communications as a result of commercial imperatives associated with the Empire. The book concludes with a thought-provoking epilogue. ‘The Realist Interpretation of the Atmosphere’ proves how most radiophysicists indeed overstated the reality of the reflecting layers of the ionosphere, mainly for reasons related to the interests of radio engineers in commercial and governmental agencies, as well as to the activities of radio amateurs.Less
This book describes the complex relations between wireless and the British Empire, and draws on an broad range of unpublished manuscripts and original printed texts found in an large diversity of archives and national contexts (Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand). The book also investigates the intimate relationship between the upper atmospheric sciences on the one hand, and structural factors (such as radio industry, technical education, and geopolitics) on the other. As an original feature, the book follows a pattern in which certain categories transit in parallel throughout the historical episode. The metaphor of a thread of five pieces representing the categories ‘science’, ‘industry’, ‘government’, ‘the military’, and ‘education’ serves to describe its thematic structure. The book examines the contribution of imperial defence, commercial companies, and academic traditions in promoting atmospheric sciences, a branch of research in which Britain was to lead the world. Attention is also given to the gradual displacementfrom long-wave to short-wave communications as a result of commercial imperatives associated with the Empire. The book concludes with a thought-provoking epilogue. ‘The Realist Interpretation of the Atmosphere’ proves how most radiophysicists indeed overstated the reality of the reflecting layers of the ionosphere, mainly for reasons related to the interests of radio engineers in commercial and governmental agencies, as well as to the activities of radio amateurs.
Toby Tyrrell
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691121581
- eISBN:
- 9781400847914
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691121581.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
One of the enduring questions about our planet is how it has remained continuously habitable over vast stretches of geological time despite the fact that its atmosphere and climate are potentially ...
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One of the enduring questions about our planet is how it has remained continuously habitable over vast stretches of geological time despite the fact that its atmosphere and climate are potentially unstable. James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis posits that life itself has intervened in the regulation of the planetary environment in order to keep it stable and favorable for life. First proposed in the 1970s, Lovelock's hypothesis remains highly controversial and continues to provoke fierce debate. This book undertakes the first in-depth investigation of the arguments put forward by Lovelock and others—and concludes that the evidence doesn't stack up in support of Gaia. The book draws on the latest findings in fields as diverse as climate science, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The book takes readers to obscure corners of the natural world, from southern Africa where ancient rocks reveal that icebergs were once present near the equator, to mimics of cleaner fish on Indonesian reefs, to blind fish deep in Mexican caves. It weaves these and many other intriguing observations into a comprehensive analysis of the major assertions and lines of argument underpinning Gaia, and finds that it is not a credible picture of how life and Earth interact. The book reflects on the scientific evidence indicating that life and environment mutually affect each other, and proposes that feedbacks on Earth do not provide robust protection against the environment becoming uninhabitable—or against poor stewardship by us.Less
One of the enduring questions about our planet is how it has remained continuously habitable over vast stretches of geological time despite the fact that its atmosphere and climate are potentially unstable. James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis posits that life itself has intervened in the regulation of the planetary environment in order to keep it stable and favorable for life. First proposed in the 1970s, Lovelock's hypothesis remains highly controversial and continues to provoke fierce debate. This book undertakes the first in-depth investigation of the arguments put forward by Lovelock and others—and concludes that the evidence doesn't stack up in support of Gaia. The book draws on the latest findings in fields as diverse as climate science, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The book takes readers to obscure corners of the natural world, from southern Africa where ancient rocks reveal that icebergs were once present near the equator, to mimics of cleaner fish on Indonesian reefs, to blind fish deep in Mexican caves. It weaves these and many other intriguing observations into a comprehensive analysis of the major assertions and lines of argument underpinning Gaia, and finds that it is not a credible picture of how life and Earth interact. The book reflects on the scientific evidence indicating that life and environment mutually affect each other, and proposes that feedbacks on Earth do not provide robust protection against the environment becoming uninhabitable—or against poor stewardship by us.
Aitor Anduaga
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199562725
- eISBN:
- 9780191721755
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562725.003.0008
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
The discovery of a clearly stratified structure of layers in the upper atmosphere has been—and still is—invoked too often as the great paradigm of atmospheric sciences in the 20th century. Behind ...
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The discovery of a clearly stratified structure of layers in the upper atmosphere has been—and still is—invoked too often as the great paradigm of atmospheric sciences in the 20th century. Behind this vision lies an emphasis—or rather an overstatement—on the reality of the concept of layer. Some historians have attributed this to—somewhat ambiguous—cultural factors. This chapter shows how, in the interwar years, most radiophysicists, for reasons principally related to extrinsic influences and to a lesser extent to internal developments of their own science, fervidly embraced a realist interpretation of the ionosphere. In particular, a specific social and commercial environment came to exert a strong influence on upper atmospheric physicists. This realist commitment is attributed to the mutual reinforcement of atmospheric physics and commercial and imperial interests in long-distance communications.Less
The discovery of a clearly stratified structure of layers in the upper atmosphere has been—and still is—invoked too often as the great paradigm of atmospheric sciences in the 20th century. Behind this vision lies an emphasis—or rather an overstatement—on the reality of the concept of layer. Some historians have attributed this to—somewhat ambiguous—cultural factors. This chapter shows how, in the interwar years, most radiophysicists, for reasons principally related to extrinsic influences and to a lesser extent to internal developments of their own science, fervidly embraced a realist interpretation of the ionosphere. In particular, a specific social and commercial environment came to exert a strong influence on upper atmospheric physicists. This realist commitment is attributed to the mutual reinforcement of atmospheric physics and commercial and imperial interests in long-distance communications.
Jost Heintzenberg and Robert J. Charlson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262012874
- eISBN:
- 9780262255448
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262012874.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
More than half the globe is covered by visible clouds. Clouds control major parts of the Earth’s energy balance, influencing both incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave thermal ...
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More than half the globe is covered by visible clouds. Clouds control major parts of the Earth’s energy balance, influencing both incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave thermal radiation. Latent heating and cooling related to cloud processes modify atmospheric circulation, and, by modulating sea surface temperatures, clouds affect the oceanic circulation. They are also an essential component of the global water cycle, on which all terrestrial life depends. Yet clouds constitute the most poorly quantified, least understood, and most puzzling aspect of atmospheric science, and thus the largest source of uncertainty in the prediction of climate change. Because they are influenced by climate change, and because complex, unidentified feedback systems are involved, science is faced with many unanswered questions. This book begins by identifying and describing the baffling nature of clouds. It explores the boundaries of current knowledge on the spatial/temporal variability of clouds and cloud-related aerosols, as well as the factors that control clouds, and examines the extent and nature of anthropogenic perturbations. Particular emphasis is placed on the connections of clouds to climate through radiation, dynamics, precipitation, and chemistry, and on the difficulties in understanding the obvious but elusive fact that clouds must be affected by climate change. The book offers recommendations to improve the current state of knowledge and to direct future research in fields ranging from chemistry and theoretical physics to climate modeling and remote satellite sensing.Less
More than half the globe is covered by visible clouds. Clouds control major parts of the Earth’s energy balance, influencing both incoming shortwave solar radiation and outgoing longwave thermal radiation. Latent heating and cooling related to cloud processes modify atmospheric circulation, and, by modulating sea surface temperatures, clouds affect the oceanic circulation. They are also an essential component of the global water cycle, on which all terrestrial life depends. Yet clouds constitute the most poorly quantified, least understood, and most puzzling aspect of atmospheric science, and thus the largest source of uncertainty in the prediction of climate change. Because they are influenced by climate change, and because complex, unidentified feedback systems are involved, science is faced with many unanswered questions. This book begins by identifying and describing the baffling nature of clouds. It explores the boundaries of current knowledge on the spatial/temporal variability of clouds and cloud-related aerosols, as well as the factors that control clouds, and examines the extent and nature of anthropogenic perturbations. Particular emphasis is placed on the connections of clouds to climate through radiation, dynamics, precipitation, and chemistry, and on the difficulties in understanding the obvious but elusive fact that clouds must be affected by climate change. The book offers recommendations to improve the current state of knowledge and to direct future research in fields ranging from chemistry and theoretical physics to climate modeling and remote satellite sensing.
