Redfield is known in meteorology for his observation of the directionality of winds in hurricanes,[9] being among the first to propose that hurricanes are large circular vortexes[10] (John Farrar had made similar observations six years earlier), though his interests were varied and influential.
At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in 1854, Redfield mentioned a storm-path in which no less than seventy odd vessels had been wrecked, dismasted, or damaged.[12]
Notes
^According to Redfield's son John Howard Redfield, his father was baptized simply William Redfield "but on becoming of age, having some occasion to sign some legal paper, at the suggestion of the town clerk, he added the C. to distinguish him from two cousins of the same name".[1] However, the middle name "Charles" is used in several encyclopedias and directories published after Redfield's death.[2][3][4][5]