Cleveland Abbe

Cleveland Abbe
Born	(1838-12-03)December 3, 1838 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 28, 1916(1916-10-28) (aged 77) Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S.
Resting place	Rock Creek Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. Section M, Lot 292, Range 5
Nationality	American
Education	Free Academy, BA, 1857 Free Academy, MA, 1860 Harvard, BS , 1864
Occupation	Meteorology
Organization(s)	National Weather Service National Geographic Society City College of New York
Spouse	Frances Martha Neal (1870-1908) Margaret A. Percival (1909-1916)
Children	Cleveland Abbe Jr. Truman Abbe
Awards	Symons Gold Medal (1912) Public Welfare Medal (1916)
Signature

Cleveland Abbe (December 3, 1838 – October 28, 1916) was an American

Cleveland Abbe was born in New York City in 1838 and grew up in the prosperous merchant family of George Waldo and Charlotte Colgate Abbe.[4] One of his younger brothers, Robert, became a prominent surgeon and radiologist. In school, Cleveland excelled in mathematics and chemistry, attending David B. Scott Grammar School, and graduating in 1857 from the Free Academy with a Bachelor of Arts.^[5] While at City College, he learned under Oliver Wolcott Gibbs.^[6]

He tutored mathematics at the

He then studied abroad in Russia at the Observatory of Pulkovo, as a guest, and returned, in 1866, to the U.S. eager to study astronomy. It was said that he was his happiest while in Russia as like-minded intellectuals surrounded him, formed a relationship with Otto Struve, and enjoyed the scenery.^[7]

Career

His first job in astronomy was at the United States Naval Observatory from 1867-1868 as an aide, until the Cincinnati Astronomical Society offered him the director position at the Cincinnati Observatory in 1868.^[5][8] He spent a few years in Cincinnati, but his interests were already evolving. Remembering that meteorological conditions directly affected the work of astronomers, he began working in the field of meteorology. He won approval to report on and predict the weather, working on the premise that forecasts could and should be generated at minimal expense and in such a way as to perhaps even produce income. By 1873 he was let go by the Cincinnati Observatory due to funding issues and it was then that he made the decision that would change his career path.

Meteorology

His first work on weather was centered on forecasting and issuance of warnings for severe weather. This preliminary work was started while still in Cincinnati. His first bulletin was issued on 1 September 1869.^[3][7]

Abbe was appointed chief meteorologist at the

On February 19, 1871, Abbe personally gave the first official weather report. He continued to forecast alone for the next six months, while simultaneously training others. He was joined in mid-1871 by two Army lieutenants and a civilian professor in giving reports, and the team was then able to rotate the heavy workload. Abbe demanded precise language in the forecasts and ensured that every forecast covered four key meteorological elements: weather (clouds and precipitation), temperature, wind direction, and barometric pressure. By the end of the first year of reporting, over 60 copies of weather charts had been sent to Congress, the press, and various scientific institutions. By 1872, Abbe regularly sent over 500 sets of daily maps and bulletins overseas in exchange for European meteorological data. Abbe also insisted on verifying predictions. During the first year of operation, in 1871, Abbe and his staff verified 69 percent of their predictions; the annual report apologized for the other 31 percent, citing the time constraints as the cause.

In 1872, Abbe founded and was the initial editor of the Monthly Weather Review. He also was the editor from 1892 until 1915 just before his death. The Mount Weather Observatory in Virginia also produced a weather bulletin, of which Abbe was the editor from 1909 to 1913.^[5]

In order to compile his information, Abbe required a time-keeping system that was consistent among the stations. To accomplish this he divided the United States into four

Abbe required that the weather service stay at the forefront of technology. Over time, the instrument division at the headquarters tested and calibrated thousands of devices and even began to design and build their own instruments. By the end of the century, self-registering equipment came into use, and the United States led the meteorological world with 114 Class I (automatic recording) observation stations. Anticipating an increase in international cooperation, Abbe began to seek quality instruments calibrated to international standards. He enlisted Oliver Wolcott Gibbs of Harvard and Arthur Wright of Yale to design improved equipment. For comparison purposes, Abbe ordered a barometer from Heinrich Wild (director of the Nicholas Central Observatory in Russia), as well as an anemometer and several types of hygrometers from Germany. Abbe then invented an anemobarometer to test the effect of chimney and window drafts on barometers in enclosed spaces.

Abbe returned to academia in 1886, when he accepted a professorship at

In 1870 he married Frances Martha Neal who died in 1908. In 1909 he married Margaret Augusta Percival. Abbe enjoyed ethnology, oriental archaeology, geology, botany, and music in his off time.^[7]

Abbe died in 1916 aged 77 years in Chevy Chase, MD after more than 45 years of scientific achievement.^[1][8] He was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Monthly Weather Review

Cleveland Abbe founded the scientific journal