News and Views
1929; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 123; Issue: 3094 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1038/123251a0
ISSN1476-4687
Tópico(s)Soil and Land Suitability Analysis
ResumoMETEOROLOGICAL statistics justify, on the whole, the selection of Aldwick, near Bognor, as the place of convalescence for His Majesty the King, when it is borne in mind that sunshine is the element of greatest importance in such a case. Bognor lies within the only strip of the south coast of England where the general average daily duration of sunshine. in the month of February exceeds three hours. The contrast between the figures for this Sussex watering-place and those for St. James's Park are most striking for midwinter, but even in this month, with its lengthening days, the relative amounts are not far short of three to one. In March the ratio is reduced to almost exactly two to one, and by April the advantage of the seaside place is reduced to 45 per cent. The particular merit of the climate of the Sussex coast is that it combines a low average rainfall with its abundant sunshine, and in this respect has a great advantage over the southern coasts of Devon and Cornwall. On the other hand, the south-west coast has a slightly higher mean temperature, due to the fact that it is more frequently under the influence of the mild southerly or southwesterly winds of the Atlantic, at the same time that the south-east of England is meteorologically one with the Continent during a spell of the cold easterly type of weather. A curious fact—perhaps not widely recognised—is that in spring the warmth derived from artificial sources in London on the one hand, and the influence of the cold sea upon the coastal climate on the other, are sufficient to make St. James's Park actually warmer than Bognor when shade temperature alone is considered. The difference amounts to about a degree and a half.
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