Show BUREAU CHIEf MAKES REpORT Work Work of Weather Service Re Reviewed ReViewed viewed in Highly Inter Interesting Interesting Interesting esting Manner CHAPTER ON SALTON SEA PROBLEMS OF EVAPORATION ARE DISCUSSED The annual report for 1907 of Willis Villi I L Ii Moore chief of ot the United States weather bureau has Just been Issued by the gov government government government and copies caples of It have been re received received received In Salt Lake The pamphlet is a careful review of all phases of the gov governments government governments weather service its history In brief what It has accomplished recent Improvements In service and valuable sug as to the work in the future Of especial Interest to the people of Utah Nevada Arizona and California Is the account of the investigation of oration In connection with the Salton sea The report says While several studies have been made In the United States and Europe regard ing tho the laws of evaporation over r large bodies of water the results have not been sufficiently In agreement to be tory tOr for the deduction of a proper system of laws designed for practical uses by engineers and meteorologists The recent formation of a large lake of fresh water In Salton sea southern California caused by tho the overflowing of the Colorado river affords an unequaled opportunity to take up the study of evaporation phenomena on a large scale under remarkably favor favorable favorable favorable able conditions S The Salton sea is now miles miTes long contains square miles surface which Is feet below the sea level the bottom of the lake being feet below the mean level of the Pacific ocean and it will evaporate eY at the rate br lr about eight feet per year Investigating Evaporation G K Gilbert of the United States geological survey proposed that this unique opportunity be embraced especial especially ly iy in view of the facts that the Salton Saltern sea lies in a dry climate where evaporation Is vigorous where there Is little rainfall and only a small Inflow of water from the New and an the Alamo rivers which can be readily measured so that the evaporation evaporation tion conditions are comparatively free from complications In order to study the time possibilities of the case a board consist consisting consistIng ing irig of Professor F H Bigelow United States weather bureau G K Gilbert United States geological survey and C CE CE CE E Grunsky United States reclamation service proceeded to Yuma Arizona and andin andIn andin in May 1907 inspected the time entire region carefully making a favorable report on the undertaking Some valuable preliminary preliminary preliminary nary experiments were made at Reno Nevada during the summer and next year it Js is proposed to Install a chain of stations around the Salton sea on a com corn comparatively simple plan for the first years ears work and then proceed to a more elaborate elaborate elaborate ate campaign during the second and fol following lowing years ears as experience suggests shall be bc appropriate I The rainfall and the time evaporation are the two great factors which determine the amount of water available for Irrigation purposes and for the thc supply of water that passes from the watersheds to the tho navigable navigable able rivers as floods or as normal stages so that the engineers demand reliable data on this thia subject which It is not at present possible to supply While the weather bureau collects rainfall data in all parts of the country there is nothing being done on the evaporation side of the time problem but It is hoped in the course courBe of ofa ofa ofa a few years to be able to add to our exist existing existIng existing ing service the proper observations on evaporation such sueh as will enable AIS IS to publish a monthly map of evaporation to tobe tolie tobe be lie used in connection with the rainfall map now being Issued every month In addition to the needs of the engineer it itIs ItIs itis Is recognized that evaporation Is an im important important important factor In the economy of plant life so that the agriculturalist should have access to suitable information re regarding regarding regarding garding the amount of tho the loss of water in I 11 this way This is especially true for forthe forthe forthe the region west of the Mississippi river where projects are under way that have such an Important bearing on the future Industrial development of that vast region rich as It is in possibilities for the future The Introduction of the date palm industry in the immediate vicinity of time the Salton soa s calls for special meteor meteorological meteorological meteorological observations because the matur maturing maturIng maturing ing dates are very injuriously Influenced by moisture In the air such as may be he produced by the evaporation of the sea or of irrigated fields Availability of the Salton alton Sea The conditions afforded by the Salton sea are arc particularly suitable for thein the In of the laws of evaporation The Tile amount of water flowing into it is small and can readily be measured The rainfall Is nominal in amount No water flows out of it The climate is so dry that the total evaporation In the year ear will probably amount to six or eight feet It Itis ItIs itIs is therefore possible to determine by the ual rate of evaporation and to make this determination with high pre precision precision precision By making the continuous ous and by making simultaneous observations observations observations of the temperature atmospheric humidity wind etc the relations of evaporation to these several factors can be made out It Is possible also by a suitable arrangement of details and by bythe bythe bythe the use of evaporation tanks tp take ac account account account count of the relation of or evaporation to the size of the evaporating surface By the reason of the dryness of the lo ho local local cal climate the evaporation rato rate in the Salton bash is unusually high There Therefore Therefore forea fore a formula based on observations at this place will have such range as a to be available for all cases likely to arise It Is especially to be noted that the opportunity gwen given by Salton sea Ilea Is bath hath temporary and unique In ten or fifteen years the sea will have and andIn andin In a somewhat shorter period Its waters will have become so saline that Its rate of evaporation will no longer be normal anti and anI representative It Is not to be le me stored if it the resources of the engineer can prevent Moreover the combination of physical conditions and events by which the sea was created crt is so BO peculiar as to warrant the belief that It is not duplicated elsewhere It is certainly not notto notto notto to be found In the United States Unless Uness use Is made of the present crisis in the history of the basin the opportunity willbe willbe will willbe be lost |