Misc,
Halley's Wind: Reappraising a Centuries Old Theory for the Trade Winds
(Jan 2, 2018)
Abstract
The astronomical work of Edmond Halley (1656-1742) during the latter half of
the Copernican Revolution contributed substantially to the scientific proof and
widespread acceptance of heliocentrism. Perhaps the most well-known example is
his prediction of the return of the comet named in his honor. Halley is also
known for offering an incorrect account of Earth's atmospheric general
circulation in 1686, specifically the cause of the easterly trade winds in the
tropics. In light of updated data and models, the notion of the 'wrongness' of
Halley's proposed explanation is reconsidered when cast within the milieu of
the prevailing cosmological model. The key ingredient to Halley's mechanism,
underappreciated at the time by Halley and his contemporaries, is the thermal
inertia of the climate system. It has been suggested by some authors that
Halley's ideas on atmospheric circulation were the first to "go beyond the
Ptolemaic view of climate." Ironically, Halley's explanation was essentially
correct, but only in a Ptolemaic (geocentric) universe.
