War History of the Australian Meteorological Service
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: D.Met.S.—Australia's Wartime Weather Service
Chapter 2: The Weather Factor in Warfare
Chapter 3: Met in the Retreat
Chapter 4: Met in the Advance
Chapter 5: Meteorology in Aviation
Chapter 6: Central Forecasting Services
Chapter 7: Met With the Army
Chapter 8: Research and Personnel Training
Radiosonde Personnel
Chemical Warfare Experiments
Training of Outside Personnel
Miscellaneous Training and Lectures
Civil Air Lines' Trainees
Compilation of Notes and Manuals
Meteorological and Climatic Reports
Coastal and Seaward Areas
Enemy Occupied Areas
Training Statistics
Chapter 9: Instrumental Development and Maintenance
Chapter 10: Scientific Developments in the RAAF Meteorological Service
Chapter 11: Divisional Bureaux and Their Work
Appendix 1: List of Reports Provided by D.Met.S. for Advances Operational Planning and Other Purposes
Appendix 2: List of Service Personnel RAAF Meteorological Service
Appendix 3: List of Civilian Personnel Who Worked Together with Service Personnel of the RAAF Meteorological Service
Appendix 4: List of Locations at which RAAF Meteorological Service Personnel Served
Index
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Meteorological and Climatic Reports
One of the most important phases of the work done in Melbourne by the research and training section of the Directorate lay in compilation of meteorological and climatic reports for Australian and overseas areas. This work commenced in 1940 with a series of reports dealing with weather conditions over the principal Australian air-routes serviced by civil aircraft. Each report was presented in similar form, containing sections on pressure distribution, surface winds, upper winds, air density, cloud, visibility, precipitation, thunderstorms, icing, temperature and humidity, together with an initial introduction and a summary. Then followed tables giving wind direction and force, rainfall and wet days, air density, temperature and humidity, as well as maps illustrating the chief weather types experienced.First of these reports to be issued was for the Adelaide-Perth air-route, and before the end of 1940 others had been prepared for the Perth-Wiluna-Kalgoorlie and Perth-Darwin runs.
Most of the remaining main routes were covered in the following year, including Adelaide-Darwin, Brisbane-Thursday Island, Brisbane-Daly Waters, Brisbane-Sydney, Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Adelaide, Melbourne-Hobart, Melbourne-Adelaide, Sydney-Bega, Melbourne-Baimsdale, Adelaide-Kangaroo Island and Perth-Albany.
In the same year, also, there was issued a series of reports on meteorological conditions in small areas, designed to meet specific purposes, chiefly in connection with the establishment of RAAF training stations. Places covered were Canberra and neighbourhood, Evans Head, Coffs Harbour, Nabiac, Williamtown, Nowra, Moruya Heads, Mildura-Wentworth district (with special relation to duststorms), and, in 1942, the Tasmanian midlands. In 1943 an investigation was conducted at the request of the RAAF to ascertain the best of the established airfields, from a weather point of view, for the training of paratroops. Around the same time the section also reported on conditions on the Cape York Peninsula for the information of the military authorities, and upon the Exmouth Gulf area for the RAAF and Royal Australian Navy.
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© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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