Buys Ballot's Law - History

History

As early as the 16th century extensive weather observations were included as part of a ship's log. These observations as well as other log information, were turned over to national hydrographic institutes in various nations, most notably Germany and England and later the US. The information from many ships about individual voyages was compiled ashore and later became what today is still published by England, a 3 volume set complete with charts titled "Sailing Directions for the World". Additionally the US Defense Mapping Agency publishes a 47 volume set Sailing Directions which serves much the same purpose. The information is the distillate of empirical observations of thousands of ships masters over thousands of voyages spanning several hundred years.

Buys Ballot's law, which was first deduced by the American meteorologists J.H. Coffin and William Ferrel, is a direct consequence of Ferrel's law. The law takes its name from C. H. D. Buys Ballot, a Dutch meteorologist, who published it in the Comptes Rendus, November 1857. While William Ferrel theorized this first in 1856, Buys Ballot was the first to provide an empirical validation.

Buys Ballot's law first appeared in early versions (prior to 1900) of Bowditchs' American Practical Navigator and other publications written to assist in passage planning and the safe conduct of ships at sea and is still included today both in Bowditch and in Sailing Directions (see following reference) as an item of practical reference and information.hi