International Radiation Commissions 1896 to 2008: Research into Atmospheric Radiation from IMO to IAMAS

Abstract

In 1980 IAMAP published an informal note written by Fritz Möller about the “history” of the Radiation commissions up to 1948. Since that time several presidents of the IRC requested that the further development of the IRC should also be documented. This demand was especially justified as the Long existence of the Radiation Commission exemplarily reflects the changes which atmospheric Research strategies experienced with time. IAMAS and IRC are happy indeed that Hans-Jürgen Bolle undertook the seemingly dry effort to extract the essence of the documents which he collected during several decades of personal involvement in IRC and IAMAP/IAMAS. He sets off with Möller’s shorter account from 1980, then he builds on personal notes inherited from Fritz Möller and Julius London, and extends the survey with his own notes and internal IRC material right to the present time. The inclusion of cuts from photographs, which depict many of the acting individuals and groupings, provides a flavour of the familytype atmosphere that often prevails in (atmospheric) science.