the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 01 Oct 2025
First decade of atmospheric electricity observations at Świder Observatory
Abstract. Since October 1929 measurements of the atmospheric potential gradient (PG) have entered routine operation at the Magnetic Observatory in Świder, Poland. This started a new chapter in the history of the Observatory. Two Benndorf electrometers recorded continuously until September 1939. The war disrupted these observations as well as shattered efforts to publish the results of nearly a decade. Nevertheless, these early actions initiated by the Observatory management shaped its future as it became a contemporary atmospheric electricity station in the second half of the 20th century.
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Status: open (until 21 Nov 2025)
- EC1: 'Comment on hgss-2025-9', Kristian Schlegel, 02 Oct 2025 reply
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RC1: 'Comment on hgss-2025-9', Anonymous Referee #1, 15 Oct 2025
reply
Thank you for this valuable paper with important material concerning early twentieth century atmospheric electricity measurements in Poland, and the associated motivation, problems and successes. The biographies of significant individuals are a bonus and humbling to read.
This work would seem to fit perfectly in the Special Issue on Atmospheric electrical observatories.
I have only a few points:
- The title is possibly confusing as it could refer to recent measurements. I suggest that “The first decade (1929-1939) of atmospheric electricity observations at Swider Observatory” would be clearer.
- Related, in the Abstract, first sentence: “In October 1929, measurements of the atmospheric potential gradient (PG) began to be routinely recorded at the Magnetic Observatory in Swider, Poland.”
- Bringing atmospheric electricity measurements into magnetic observatories was also encouraged by Elster and Geitel, who wrote to the Carnegie Institution to suggest it. (See Fricke and Schlegel https://hgss.copernicus.org/articles/8/1/2017/ , section 2). Given the importance of the Carnegie Institution, this would be worth including.
- Say potential gradient (PG) on first use, probably line 62, and then use the abbreviation PG throughout.
- Some question marks occur in the text. These need to be resolved.
Small points on the text:
L1 “The history of…
L15 paragraph break needed after Kalinowski. Then “Professor Kalinowski...
L19 “Specifically, Kalinowski had visited Pavlovsk, and, with the architect he employed, Łukasz Wolski, they visited Potsdam and Seddin several times (Linthe, 2023a, b).”
L21 “The beginning of continuous operation was delayed by the war, which trapped Kalinowski on the other side of the front. The Observatory was not…”
L29 “…after a brief but necessary…”
L33. Do you mean that the magnetic work has been prioritised in what has been written about the Observatory, or that the magnetic work itself was prioritised?
L44 full --> fuller
L55 Make clear that it would be the magnetic work which would be threatened by the electric railway (as documented for Seddin https://hgss.copernicus.org/articles/14/43/2023/ and Kew https://hgss.copernicus.org/articles/15/5/2024/ ).
L58 run --> ran
L69 what --> which
L70 “Prior to receiving the grant, construction of another observing house was arranged…”
L74 Wulf (if of the electrometer)
L90 “The Observatory was renamed but the years that followed…”
L93 field measurements of what kind? Magnetic?
L98 “Antoni Liliental’s at the observatory
Footnote 8: “It was discovered that the magnetic Z component had been reported with an opposite sign, and all results for the affected period needed to be corrected.”
L132 Harrison and Riddick 2023, fig 4.
L152 touting --> tensioning
L164 distortion
L178 confirmed
L218 Kalinowski’s activity… this sentence and question mark doesn’t make sense.
L222 encouraged
L264 “…the Observatory, Zofia Kalinowska gave support for atmospheric electricity observations continuation at…”
L277 “…-Curie, Henryk obtained…”
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/hgss-2025-9-RC1
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The manuscript describes the establishment of atmospheric electricity measurements at the observatory Swider in great detail. Although the corresponding data are lost, these details are worth to be preserved, and I tend to accept the manuscript for publication in HGSS.
However I suggest some additions.
1. Since the data had been destroyed in WWII. even some early results should be included, if possible. Perhaps some early and preliminary results are contained in later publications (Kalinowski, 1937b, 1939, or Kalinowska 1960, or Kalinowska-Widomska 1955).
2. It would be convenient for the reader, if a block diagram of the measurement installation, described in lines 133 to 150 can be sketched and included. Fig. 2 needs some explanations.
3. Section 4 is not really a "conclusion". It should be renamed as something like "The modern Swider Observatory". It should be mentioned that it is now called "Stanislaw Kalinowski Geophysical Observatory" and it should be clearly stated if the observatory still continues to observe atmospheric electricity parameters. In line 191 it it said that two instruments are still exist, but it is not clear, if they are still in use.
4. There are "?" in serveral places (lines 131, 206, 218, 304) which should be replaced.