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Beyond the Beagle
Wed Sep 24, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
As commander of HMS Beagle, the ship which carried Charles Darwin to eventual fame, Robert
FitzRoy seems just a historical footnote. However, FitzRoy is also known as the Father of the
British Meteorological Service. Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook.
For FitzRoy's second voyage with Beagle, in 1831, Naval Hydrographer Frances Beaufort asked
him to observe the winds using Beaufort's new scale, as part of weather surveys.
The five-year mission proved so successful that FitzRoy was promoted to Captain in 1835. Over
the next decade, FitzRoy would be elected to Parliament and then appointed Governor of New
Zealand.
In 1854, to organize weather data collected at sea, the British founded the Meteorological
Office, and appointed Robert FitzRoy as its chief.
FitzRoy had earlier recognized the role of barometers in foreseeing stormy weather. After a
deadly storm struck the British Isles in October 1859, sinking 200 ships and killing 800
people, he began portraying storms by using charts drawn from weather observations, the
forerunner of today's synoptic weather maps. From this, FitzRoy conceived the possibility of
foretelling or, as he called it, forecasting the weather.
To implement FitzRoy's forecast scheme in 1861, fifteen stations telegraphed regular weather
observations to London. This data was the basis for storm forecasts. Whenever a gale was
predicted, storm-warning signals were raised along the coast: the world's first regular,
national storm forecasting. Although criticism of this service may have contributed to
Fitzroy's suicide in 1865, today, he is respected for his foresight into forecasting.
Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. The Weather Notebook is funded
by Subaru and The National Science Foundation.
Today's Links
FitzRoy of the Beagle
http://www.magma.ca/~jdreid/temp.htm
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