The General Circulation of the Atmosphere

IF the question of the general circulation of the atmosphere were referred to a meeting of educated people, one might be sure that ninety out of a hundred who could give any answer at all would explain it by the time-honoured equatorial and polar current; if anyone initiated in the subject sat near, one would observe a pitying smile upon his lips, and, if asked for his opinion, he would relegate that current, of sacred memory, to the region of the fables, or at most only allow it to hold sway, with certain limitations, in the tropical and sub-tropical zones, the region of the trade-winds; the temperate and cold zones however would be reserved for the dominion of the variable winds, and of newly arisen cyclones and anticyclones, of which we cannot tell whence they come and whither they go, i.e. for the origin and disappearance of which we cannot lay down any laws. And if there were several of these initiated persons present, a discussion would at once occur, from which no one could obtain a clear idea, and which would leave everyone with the impression that nothing certain was known about the subject. I suppose that you have been present at such a discussion, and have appealed to me to explain to you the present state of our knowledge of this subject.