The jet stream, Wasaburo Oishi and Esperanto

Abstract

The jet stream is a key element in defining the weather, as it is behind blocking patterns, guides the path of storms, lengthens or reduces the duration of transoceanic flights and plays a role in climate change. There are two notable jet streams, the subtropical and the polar. The title of discoverer of the jet stream probably belongs to the Japanese meteorologist Wasaburo Oishi. Oishi was a great admirer of Esperanto, the artificial language, and published his discovery in this language, which probably meant that it did not have wide circulation. This article will describe the basic characteristics of the jet stream and the history of its discovery.