The history of cloud studies in Russia: from the chronicles to V. V. Kuznetsov’s Cloud Atlas

Affiliation: Research Institute of Military History General Staff Academy of the Russian Federation’s Armed Forces
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki

Edition

Volume 40 1

Pages

61-72

Abstract

The paper reviews the main periods of cloud studies in Russia, from the ancient times to 1917. Since humans came into existence, clouds played an important role in their life. With the development of meteorology as a science, systematic studies of clouds began in different countries including Russia. The studies of physical fundamentals of cloud formation were carried out and the systems for their classifications were proposed. In the early 19th century, the most popular of these systems was L. Howard’s nomenclature. In Russia, relatively systematic observations of clouds began in the Petrine era within the framework of general weather observations. A major milestone in cloud studies in Russia was establishing a Central Physical Laboratory in 1849, with A. T. Kupffer as its director. This institution became the chief coordinator of all meteorological observations in the country and, among other things, issued instructions for observers, including those on cloud observation. Despite the existence of cloud classifications, no cloud atlases existed for a long time. The first of such atlases, the “International Cloud Atlas,” only appeared in 1896 and was also published in Russia. An original Russian cloud atlas composed by V. V. Kuznetsov, appeared in 1917 and marked the beginning of the Soviet / Russian tradition of publishing such atlases.

Keywords

clouds, classification, observatory, aerology, atlas

Publication date

27.03.2019

Number of characters

25754

Cite

GOST	Pryamitsyn V. The history of cloud studies in Russia: from the chronicles to V. V. Kuznetsov’s “Cloud Atlas” // Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki – 2019. – V. 40. – 1 C. 61-72 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://vietmag.org/S020596060003893-4-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S020596060003893-4
MLA	Pryamitsyn, Vladimir "The history of cloud studies in Russia: from the chronicles to V. V. Kuznetsov’s “Cloud Atlas”." Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 40.1 (2019):61-72. DOI: 10.31857/S020596060003893-4
APA	Pryamitsyn V. (2019). The history of cloud studies in Russia: from the chronicles to V. V. Kuznetsov’s “Cloud Atlas”. Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 40(1), pp.61-72 DOI: 10.31857/S020596060003893-4

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 2, views: 1215

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Andreev, A. O., Dukal’skaia, M. V., and Golovina, E. G. (2007) Oblaka: proiskhozhdenie, klassifikatsiia, raspoznavanie [Clouds: Origin, Classification, Identification]. Sankt-Peterburg: RGGMU.

2. Bespalov, D. P., Deviatkin, A. M., Dovgaliuk, Iu. A., etc. (comp.), Surygin, L. K. (ed.) (2011) Atlas oblakov [Cloud Atlas]. Sankt-Peterburg: RIF “D’ART”.

3. Hildebrandsson, H. H. (1879) Sur la classification des nuages employée á l’Observatoire météorologique d’Upsala. Uppsala: Ed. Berling.

4. Howard, L. (1803) Essay on the Modifications of Clouds. London: J. Taylor.

5. Khrgian, A. Kh. (1959) Ocherki razvitiia meteorologii [Essays on the Development of Meteorology]. Leningrad: Gidrometizdat.

6. Khrgian, A. Kh., and Novozhilov, N. I. (1978) Atlas oblakov [Cloud Atlas]. Leningrad: Gidrometizdat. Kuznetsov, V. V. (comp.) (1917) Atlas oblakov [Cloud Atlas]. Petrograd: Tovarishchestvo R. Golike i A. Vil’borg.

7. Kuznetsov, V. V., and Rykachev, M. A. (1900) Mezhdunarodnye nabliudeniia nad oblakami v Konstantinovskoi observatorii v g. Pavlovske za pervyi god nabliudenii s 1 maiia 1896 g. po 30 aprelia 1897 g. [The International Observations of Clouds at the Constantine Observatory in Pavlovsk in the First Year of Observations from May 1, 1896 to April 30, 1897], Ezhemesiachnyi biulleten’ Nikolaevskoi GFO, no. 8.

8. Mezhdunarodnyi atlas oblakov. Prilozhenie II k instruktsii, dannoi Imperatorskoi Akademiei nauk v rukovodstvo meteorologicheskim stantsiiam II razriada I klassa [International Cloud Atlas. Supplement II to the Instruction Provided by the Imperial Academy of Sciences for Managing Meteorological Stations of the 2nd Grade / 1st Class] (1898). Sankt-Peterburg: Tipografiia Imperatorskoi Akademii nauk.

9. Nezdiurov, D. F. (1969) Ocherki razvitiia meteorologicheskikh nabliudenii v Rossii [Essays on the Development of Meteorological Observations in Russia]. Leningrad: Gidrometizdat.

10. Pasetskii, V. M. (1978) Meteorologicheskii tsentr Rossii [Russia’s Meteorological Center]. Leningrad: Gidrometizdat.

11. Smirnov, V. G. (2014) Akademik M. A. Rykachev i razvitie geofiziki v Rossii [Academician M. A. Rykachev and the Development of Geophysics in Russia]. Sankt-Peterburg: Nestor-Istoriia.

12. Sukhanovskii, A. F. (comp.) (2009) Rosgidromet. Zhizn’ po Grinvichu [Rosgidromet (Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring). Living by Greenwich Time]. Arkhangel’sk: SK-Rossiia.

13. Zaitsev, V. A., and Ledokhovich, A. A. (1970) Pribory dlia issledovaniia tumanov i oblakov i izmereniia vlazhnosti [Instruments for the Studies of Fogs and Clouds, and for Humidity Measurement]. Leningrad: Gidrometizdat.