The Ecological Equation

Your recent series concerning Southern California’s weather (Oct. 19 and 26) prompts me to comment.

While Dick Roraback did an admirable job of delineating the myriad factors that contribute to the region’s exceptional climate, he weakens that part of his story that points out how much man changes his environment through the use of technology and industry since he never discusses the role man-made pollution plays in “making” weather. Smog, admittedly, represents a major factor in Southern California’s weather; not only does it detract from this region’s “world’s-finest” climate, it also helps illustrate how man, as part of the ecological equation, contributes to the constant struggle for equilibrium that drives the world weather system, since those areas with the better climates often experience a partial destruction of their climates due to rapid industrialization and urbanization.

DONN E. HEADLEY

Riverside

Roraback, who stands corrected, reveals that he once took a seminar with Frost in New Hampshire.