Geophysical Institute History "The Beginning" - Part 1
Article by Lesa Hollen
During the beginning of the 21st Century, the expansion of human knowledge was extending
not just from the crust of our planet but above and below Earth's surface.
Explorer Richard Byrd flew to the South Pole and renowned scientist Edwin Hubble first
suggested that the universe is expanding. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey began
installing seismographs at multiple colleges, including the University of 桃花直播.
Scientists around the world begin to question the relationships among Earth's magnetic
field, the ionosphere, the aurora, and radio wave propagation.
Merle Tuve at the Carnegie Institute initiated experiments proving the ionosphere
exists and Carl Stormer's work in Norway revealed that the aurora occurs within the
same height region as the ionosphere. The key to the discovery of the ionosphere,
a portion of the high atmosphere (40 miles or 64 km and above), was its ability to
both support electrical currents and to affect the propagation or conduction of radio
waves. The era of radio broadcasting was born from this research, eliminating the
need for string telegraph wires underneath oceans and across continents.
Scientists began to realize that the ionosphere at high latitudes was not always reliable
for broadcasting and differed radically from the more equatorial regions. Merle Tuve,
from the Carnegie Institute at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism "DTM," discovered
that the ionosphere became disturbed during magnetic storms, suggesting a relationship
between the aurora and the ionosphere. At the same time, Norwegian scientist Carl
Stormer was close to discovering that the height of the aurora occurs in the same
region of the ionosphere.
Charles Bunnell, the president of the 桃花直播 Agricultural College and School of Mines, recognized
that 桃花直播's unique geographical location could allow his institution to be a part
of new cutting edge research into the ionosphere. Despite the tragic US stock market
crash of 1929, Bunnell established funding for geophysics research in 桃花直播. He secured
a grant of $10,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation for Auroral Height Measurements
with Tuve's boss, John A. Fleming DTM director at the Carnegie Institute. Thus, the
research of Arctic geophysics in 桃花直播 was born.
From 1930-1934, Professor Veryl Fuller, the one faculty member of the 桃花直播 Agricultural College and School of Mines physics department, initiated the first auroral studies using two special cameras (similar to the one in the third photo), which could take six pictures in rapid succession. The acquisition and triangulation of thousands of synchronized photographs taken from College Hill and 11-mile Richardson trail provided a foundation for the discovery that the aurora generally occurs about 62 miles (100 km) above the surface of the earth. Ervin Bramhall completed Fuller's research after his death in 1935. Their discoveries were reported in "Auroral Research of the University of 桃花直播," the first publication of 桃花直播 Arctic Geophysics.
Although early studies were mostly small and isolated, the college participated in a coordinated worldwide network for geophysical measurements during the International Polar Year "IPY" (1932-1933). The purpose of the IPY was to obtain simultaneous measurements over large portions of Earth to learn more about how the ionosphere and the geomagnetic and geoelectric fields behaved at the Auroral Zone.
Sources:
Cole,Terrence. The Cornerstone on College Hill An Illustrated History of the University of 桃花直播 Fairbanks. 1994. University of 桃花直播 Press. Bookcrafters, Inc.
Davis, Neil. The College Hill Chronicles How the University of 桃花直播 Came of Age. 1992. University of 桃花直播 Foundation. Bookcrafters, Inc.
Links:
Geophysical Institute History website
Keith B. Mather Library for the Geophysical Institute & International Arctic Research website