PREFACE. 



WITH very few exceptions this volume contains a record of every meteorological 

 observation taken on Captain Scott's last expedition from the time the Terra Nova 

 left New Zealand on November 30th, 1910, to the time she returned on February 12th, 

 1913. In addition, it contains a copy of the meteorological record kept at Framheim. 

 with the observations converted into English units. 



Now that it is possible to review the meteorogical work of the expedition as a whole 

 one can see how much we owe to the fact that simultaneous observations were taken 

 for the greater part of a year at Framheim, Cape Evans and Cape Adare. 



When we heard that Amundsen was in the Antarctic, and in consequence the small 

 party under Lieutenant Campbell which Scott had sent to work near King Edward VII 

 Land had to go to Cape Adare instead, we all considered it a minor disaster. But for the 

 meteorological work this was an advantage which it is impossible to over-estimate, in 

 fact, it led to a distribution of stations unique in the history of polar exploration and one 

 which could not have been attained by any possible amount of forethought. With 

 these stations working for nearly twelve months simultaneously at the three corners of 

 a triangle embracing the Ross Sea and each station about 400 miles from its nearest 

 neighbour, the records from each station became of highly enhanced value, and problems 

 could be investigated and solved which would have remained unknown after a hundred 

 years of observation at one station alone. 



Not only in the distribution of stations were we lucky, but also in the character of the 

 observations taken. At Framheim the meteorological work of Captain Amundsen's 

 party was not extensive but very reliable, especially the observations of pressure, 

 temperature and wind. It was at Cape Adare, however, that the most remarkable 

 meteorological work was performed. The party was small, consisting only of three 

 officers and three men, but Mr. Priestley organised and carried through a set of meteorologi- 

 cal observations and records which is a model for future expeditions. It is necessary 

 to handle the original records to realise to the full the pains expended on this work, 

 for all records were in duplicate, clean fair copies of all note books and diaries being 

 provided. I cannot be too grateful to the men of this party, to Priestley, Browning 

 and Dickason in particular, and I am sure that anyone who has occasion to study the 

 meteorology of Cape Adare will share my gratitude for the remarkable meteorological 

 diary printed in full on pp. 470-551 of this volume. 



In addition to the land stations, the Terra Nova, on her three voyages between 

 New Zealand and McMurdo Sound added a large amount of meteorological information. 

 The logs kept on these three voyages have been printed in full, and they are logs of which 

 the observers mainly the late Lieutenant H. L. L. Pennell, R.N., and Assistant Pay- 

 master Francis R. H. Drake, R.N. may well be proud. I am particularly glad that 

 these logs should be printed, for they deserve much more attention than I have been 

 able to give them. They are a mine of information and will well repay investigation. 



The preparation of this volume has been particularly arduous and if I had not found 

 in Mr. Arthur H. Bell a trained meteorologist, able and willing to see the work through 

 the press, the task might well have proved beyond my powers. The care with which 

 Mr. Bell has made fair copies for the printer of my rough working tables, has checked the 



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