WINDS AND TEMPERATURES TO FORTY KILOMETERS

Abstract

During the years 1948 to 1952, radiosonde flights were made from Belmar, New Jersey, to altitudes of 40 km. Seasonal averages of the temperature and wind data obtained from these flights indicate a definite seasonal trend at all the observed altitudes. On the average, the temperatures above 16 km are higher during the summer than the winter. The average wind speed above 22 km increases with altitude; however, it varies greatly in speed and direction with change in seasons, being in general strong and westerly (25 to 50 meters per second) during the winter, and light and easterly during the summer.