50:
25:
42:
58:
17:
108:, to draw synoptic weather charts. With Charles Todd's appointment as Postmaster General to the Colony, he trained not only his telegraph operators, but also his postmasters as weather observers. These observers provided valuable data points that, in combination with telegraphed observations from the other colonies (including New Zealand), showed the development and progress of weather activity across a large part of the Southern Hemisphere. Todd's best known feat was his construction management of the Overland Telegraph from
33:
116:. This line of communication was critical to his capacity to create continent-wide synoptic charts as the telegraphic observations from the Outback enabled the connection of data points on the east coast of Australia with similar data points on the west and southern coasts. These continent-scale isobaric lines allowed Todd and his staff to draw synoptic charts that in the early 1880s had a greater breadth than any (known) synoptic charts drawn elsewhere in the world.
120:
daily the last 6 synoptic charts for public viewing then bound and stored them in the folios. The Todd weather folios consist not only of synoptic charts, but also include clippings from newspapers detailing weather statistics and events for all the eastern colonies of
Australia. Newspapers from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were collected as they came off the inter-colonial trains and were processed for pasting up next to the corresponding synoptic chart.
148:, UK. ACRE exists to gather data to fuel a weather ‘backcasting’ model extending back to 1750. The Todd folios contain data of value to this initiative, data that is no longer available through other records. In many cases, the original documents containing the data recorded by weather observers are no longer in existence or are irretrievably lost, which gives significance to their recording in Todd's synoptic charts and ancillary documents.
81:
the world. The maps are bound into approximately six-month folios, 63 of which cover the entire period. There are approximately 10,000 continental weather maps along with 750 rainfall maps for South
Australia, 10 million printed words of news text, and innumerable handwritten observations and correspondences about the weather.
80:
office at the
Adelaide Observatory. In addition to the charts, the folios include clippings of newspaper articles and telegraphic and handwritten information about the weather. The area covered is mainly the east and south-east of Australia, with occasional reference to other parts of Australasia and
132:
As the original documents are in a fragile state and not easily accessible, a team of volunteers of the
Australian Meteorological Society (AMETA) hosted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, has digitally imaged the full 31-year run of Todd's charts and accompanying text. The digital images have
119:
The folios grew out of Todd's desire to inform the colonists of South
Australia of the immense size of weather systems and that in southern Australia, they generally progressed from west to east and not from east to west as commonly assumed by the early colonists. To accomplish this, Todd displayed
123:
The collection from 1879 includes the earliest use of isobaric maps. It then develops through to the first maps posted for public consumption in the mid 1880s, and finishes with the ‘production maps’ of pre-Federalised weather observations and forecasting. The maps are accompanied by other
124:
information including the first in-house forecasts (and later published forecasts), early rainfall maps, weather observations from the logs of sailing ships, and telegrams and letters about significant weather events.
36:
Letter from Mr. F. S. Smith (possibly telegraph operator) of Hallet, South
Australia, noting the effects of a recent storm with high winds. Hallet is now one of the centres of wind power generation in the
28:
One of the first continental synoptic charts using the data gathered from all colonies (except
Queensland). Cloud is represented by pencil shading. Note the shading along the overland telegraph.
20:
One of the earliest charts in the folios, using the new system of isobaric lines to denote atmospheric pressure. The lines are drawn in pencil on a newspaper map of south eastern
Australia.
141:
45:
A synoptic chart drawn at the West
Terrace Observatory, Adelaide that is larger in geographical reach than any known chart from another meteorological service for that time period.
133:
been handed to the
National Archives of Australia for inclusion in the Australian Digital Heritage collection. Access to the 26,000 high quality images is also available on-line.
151:
Three key concerns have driven the project; they are to make this historical archive discoverable, accessible, and future-proofed. In an electronic format on the internet,
215:
284:
155:
and accessibility are greatly enhanced. With the National Archives agreement to store the images, future-proofing the electronic images is assured.
279:
49:
269:
24:
137:
85:
274:
196:
41:
145:
57:
70:
16:
136:
The volunteer group has also digitised data from the Todd folios which have been forwarded for inclusion in the
254:
32:
144:(Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth) of the Climate Monitoring and Attribution Group,
101:
105:
177:
77:
152:
53:
Sample of one of approximately 750 rainfall maps, this also showing thunderstorm activity
263:
113:
181:
97:
109:
56:
48:
40:
31:
23:
15:
244:
172:
Benoy, Mac (2011). "The Birth of a Familiar, Everyday Map".
249:
100:
it was possible to simultaneously collect data, such as
201:
Report of the Eighth International Geographic Congress
250:
AMETA The Australian Meteorological Association Inc.
140:(ISPD). This has been done as part of Project
61:Sample of weather data from overseas telegrams
255:International Surface Pressure Databank(ISPD)
8:
69:are a collection of continental Australian
164:
138:International Surface Pressure Databank
88:listed collection series number D1384.
73:that were published from 1879 to 1909.
216:"Meteorology in the Southern Colonies"
84:The folios are an earlier part of the
7:
197:"Meteorology of Western Australia"
14:
285:Meteorological data and networks
146:Meteorology Office Hadley Centre
280:Climate and weather statistics
86:National Archives of Australia
1:
76:The charts were created by
301:
214:Thorpe, Jas (2 Jan 1886).
195:Cooke, W. Ernest (1904).
128:Digitising the Collection
92:The History of the Folios
96:With the advent of the
270:Historical climatology
62:
54:
46:
38:
29:
21:
222:. p. 6 (cols3–6)
60:
52:
44:
35:
27:
19:
275:Climate of Australia
245:Todd Weather Folios
102:surface temperature
67:Todd Weather Folios
106:sea-level pressure
78:Sir Charles Todd's
63:
55:
47:
39:
30:
22:
292:
232:
231:
229:
227:
220:Brisbane Courier
211:
205:
204:
192:
186:
185:
169:
300:
299:
295:
294:
293:
291:
290:
289:
260:
259:
241:
236:
235:
225:
223:
213:
212:
208:
194:
193:
189:
171:
170:
166:
161:
153:discoverability
130:
94:
71:synoptic charts
12:
11:
5:
298:
296:
288:
287:
282:
277:
272:
262:
261:
258:
257:
252:
247:
240:
239:External links
237:
234:
233:
206:
187:
163:
162:
160:
157:
129:
126:
93:
90:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
297:
286:
283:
281:
278:
276:
273:
271:
268:
267:
265:
256:
253:
251:
248:
246:
243:
242:
238:
221:
217:
210:
207:
202:
198:
191:
188:
183:
179:
175:
168:
165:
158:
156:
154:
149:
147:
143:
139:
134:
127:
125:
121:
117:
115:
111:
107:
103:
99:
91:
89:
87:
82:
79:
74:
72:
68:
59:
51:
43:
34:
26:
18:
224:. Retrieved
219:
209:
200:
190:
176:(67): 9–22.
173:
167:
150:
135:
131:
122:
118:
95:
83:
75:
66:
64:
226:4 September
114:Port Darwin
264:Categories
203:: 386–392.
159:References
182:0311-3930
174:The Globe
98:telegraph
110:Adelaide
180:
37:State.
228:2013
178:ISSN
142:ACRE
104:and
65:The
112:to
266::
218:.
199:.
230:.
184:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.