SYNOPTIC METEOROLOGY AS A GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: November 5, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
i1~M4rR
CONF1J)bi1v r
S'fPTIQ 4:IIrrt'1~ ~'tOLOG A3 A f 'Ai i ~1\EKIC Ai- aC1: t'~C
Ievoet. Vies. aeo, Obuh., Vol 81,
No 5, X949, pages 52 - 3O
V
P. ilwomov
.41t ~ou., c1ii:tO1o .y 1 s been eongith reds 1;~ot~rapf~ical ~tudy for
rl~ ~
tho dove1opt,int Af this ccinco l~aa followed t circuitous
L long, tii~ie,
route, itnd suah f'ArrtoU~ Ciirlj:1~t010 gist ~ a? OOVC and 0. I. Vi~'ci were not
..
otraphora. A. I. VoYc~ykov in K1 ~-nor~o $h ra (C1iin too of the
~e
~ciatolo ic;~1
1Warth) ari~ in 11 his otli?r works upheld the positior~ of
i +I, cli ,
a o rrapllicral study byoiritin out the close rolatior~-
cl~iwjtolo as f
.~'
ship between c1:.r ate and hn witolc C,o: p1ox cf pl,ysico-goor,r ~phical
The ,fruitfulness of this approach to c1iritolOLY
proceo~eg.
quite evidont when the ;oor~rap~lical-cli~:yatoa.oticnl works of
t1n,yaykov I,. ,3. 3er and others arc cofii trod with the forltt1igtic mono-
,
f,raphe of the school of V11'd? In these monorrttphs c1ir~tO is examined
as h independent h.nd isolated not only fron the ;corraphical
r
~~.n ~. rathor i
nr~r+ ;1 P.x hlitcften even .from atJ[Iogpheric Activity in ro1: t,i_on to which
climre to ig rtually only rec'.t1t.
A new trend of clim tolo f Y, which hag been named "dynamic climatology",
Ci.ecirly empilasizes the ~reoraphiCal nature of c1iLatolo~y, explaining
,
climate by the (~enerul circulation of t1-e atrn~~sph re as well as by the
cor.-ditioras a3goci-ated with the atmosphere. It is true that
~.geographical
field of study we sometimes tend to underestinnat e the secondary
in this
geographical factors of climate such as relief or bedrock deposits. Their inclusion in a system of dynamic climatology obviously does not
essential nature of the study but only introduces details into
alter the
the picture of the origin of c,iil-iates which have been sketched in more
general strokes inasmuch as the general circulation of the atmosphere
is s. PriirtarY factor of climate. From this point of view, the well-known
r!erlc tiC Classification of climates of B. P. Alisov fully permits further
'
development on the basis of a calculation of secondary factors.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
50X1 -HUM
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
CONFIDfJN'1'1AL
A wic.e circle or r cQC af)hers find it nn.ore dirticult to realise that
another important meteoro1o~ 1-ca1 (more preci ae1y, nw~erol~t?teoruio4ca1)
study, aynrptic retagx'aiol'y, i8 tay ita flatur'e afro (1 k;eorrr~a;~ic1 atudy,
or, at itnt t, can and r::uat develop aloni; ceQ~-rfnp~~ical lines. Origi;rRting
ril,out 100 years o, synoptic nicteoro1ojy w.ns for a 1orQ ti~ue a technical
fihil1 rat-tar than a aci.iiintific study, ! mpiricai cLtnditione rtd work
u1($t4hi)a3 rel,atifF prilflrriiy to pure 1- cternal fluct ttionA or the
baric tiAld ttnca tc tbo forQcf~stinJ' of these fluctu,itione were for long
t rue s~a>~ar~tte~i iiO-th fro.. dyn.i uie ctcoroiGg:r, which war c1pvQlopinl at
ahout tho ;:uu time, tutu from ;i orrnphy. the oo~.r~~ ~~~ica1 Factors
in synrp'.ic ~jrf~t'r asrs were sc: rcr ly touched upon dul'ina a period of
90 yernrs bccaucie the synotic u,c~Raod w s far front rcveLlin,r the
ra~chrLflism ilrld ph:Taict l f!tord oC tho
's'he s-.tuftit)n h:L;r now ch n~cd very much. As is known, tho present
frontolo ;ic;il method of synopsis rya t~le first tnsk in lho alls~ly d , rind
the preroquisito in the forecast of weather, prc vides a physical, dyn arnie-
thorrnodynrtimie understanding of synoptic procosses. NQW concepts of
synoptic moteorology such as those of the air mass, the front, f ronto-
ene3i i, all of which are complex physic~ttl concepts, sti;::iulate an under-
standing of the cau,~es and effects of rnacroprocessea. 13a,nF~d on these
new synoptic concepts, even a syto,r,atic circu.,.ation e;cp1anation of
c1in;r{te has become possible. Voyeykov defi.cii.tely acknowL:dged the
neceity of such an explan.:ttiion although in his tirtle it could not yet
be complete or s~rgteri~atic.
It is precisely the ph;~sical c,i rncLer of the new ideas yf.~r.J n 'ic
meteorology which rnikcs it a r'eoraphical science. The physical mechanism
of atmospheric macroprncesses are not isolated from the r~eo;raphiral
setting, but have clearly expressed geoc!raphical characteristics. The
origin a.rnd transformation of air masses, the peculiarities of major fronts
and their frontogenesis, the nature of 5y3ter1ls of condensation connected
-2-
CO I]) . i N''1.' ~...,
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 : CIA-RDP82-00039R000100040012-4
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N FT I
AL
with rr~~ases and fronts, and the tleeu1iarf.tiee of 1; verrente of eyoionea
arld antieyQiortes all slave tt erferal dyf to c-rnot.e iroloE't cal t u t a for
every type or r~r.acsas axe ;tct;ivity, but ;.re ft the 9H.e tiLe o>,trer;eiy
divorait'it'd in their rn!f..::tati-wu n~! in their do;:r L denoe ura th faao-
r!rrtphtc.'r1, faetnr in l-hQncafaon. a~'n cpLic n~c teorolo,r use t7Xt. rn-
ally t): td l~o ~~co.r;~l.~;-ier 1. met.iQU of inv