Francis Galton as Meteorologist

Galton was the first to identify the anticyclone (as opposed to the cyclone), and introduced the use of charts showing areas of similar air pressure - the modern weather map. His book Meteorographica (Macmillan, 1863) was the first systematic attempt to gather, chart and interpret weather data on a continental scale, a fundamental work of modern scientific meteorology. His data mapping and representation activities here, and for the Geographical society and its search for the Nile, would ultimately lead him to the statistical innovations required by his quantitative study of heredity.

Galton prepared the first weather map published in The Times (April 1 1875, showing the weather from the previous day, March 31), now a standard feature in newspapers worldwide.

For many years he served on the Meteorological Council, in parallel with is other scientific activities. His work for the council has been badly neglected; as in other fields, he produced a steady stream of innovative ideas, proposals, and instruments - many of his devices saw extensive practical use.

PDF 1861 'Meteorological charts.' Philosophical Magazine 22 : 34-5 PDF 1862 European weather charts for December 1861 Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science : 30 PDF 1863 A development of the theory of cyclones. Proceedings of the Royal Society 12 (January 8) : 385-6 PDF 1863 Aristotle's Meteorology (review) Reader, The 1 (March 21) : 289-90 PDF 1863 Unsigned Review of FitzRoy's The Weather Book Athenaeum, The (1838, January 17) : 80-1 PDF 1863 Recent Weather Reader, The 2 (December 19) : 730 PDF 1866 On an error in the usual method of obtaining meteorological statistics of the ocean. Athenaeum, The (2027, September 1) : 274 PDF 1866 'On an error in the usual method of obtaining meteorological statistics of the ocean.' Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 36 : 16-7 PDF 1866 On the conversion of wind-charts into passage charts. Philosophical Magazine 32 : 345-9 1869 Description of the pantagraph designed by Mr. Galton. Minutes of the Meteorological Committee : 9 PDF 1870 'Barometric predictions of weather.' Nature 2 (October 20) : 501-3 PDF 1870 'Barometric predictions of weather.' Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 40 : 31-3 1871 'Mechanical computer of vapour tension.' Report of the Meteorological Committee : 30 1872 Memorandum on the Construction of 'Isodic Charts' Minutes of the Meteorological Council (December 2) PDF 1873 'On the employment of meteorological statistics in determining the best course for a ship whose sailing qualities are known.' Proceedings of the Royal Society 21 (April 24) : 263-74 PDF 1877 'Description of the process of verifying thermometers at the Kew Observatory.' Philosophical Magazine 4 : 226-31 PDF 1877 'Description of the process of verifying thermometers at the Kew Observatory.' Proceedings of the Royal Society 26 (March 15) : 84-9 PDF 1891 'Meteorological phenomena.' [Letter] Nature 44 : 294

Galton also devised several novel and ingenious mechanical instruments for recording information about the weather, while working at the Kew Observatory. An example of the information recorded by such an instrument is reproduced below.

Galton describes the operation of this instrument as follows: