THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 305 



continent, and that the Antarctic anti-cycloue is not far distant. The temperature 

 observations show that a cold area lies off the east side of Graham's Land, for at Snow 

 Hill, latitude 64° 22' S. longitude 57° 00' W., the mean annual temperature from two 

 5'ears' observations is only 10°-7 ; while at Port Charcot, latitude 65° S. longitude 64° W., 

 it is 14°-5 ; while over the region traversed by the " Belgica" approximately in latitude 

 70° 30' S. longitude 90° W.. the mean was even hioher, being 14°7. At the South 



1 at South Georgia, in 

 .otherms must be very 

 yivig between latitudes 

 over this area may be 



ERRATUM. '^"'^^"g considerably to 



ians of 45 and 60 \V., 



Page 305, lines 4, 5, and 6, r«(X'/ " while at I'Di't Charcot, latitude further east we proceed 



65° S. longitude 64° W., it is 22°-2. Over the region traversed by . f i n° W 



the "Belgica "approximately in latitude 70° 30' S. longitude 90° W., ^^ meriman OI iU \\ . 



the mean was 14°-7." g the isotherms to take 



eason we have a large 



emperature only ranges 



;hat sets for but a brief 



what prevails in lower 



latitudes, where there is more evaporation and where the large amounts of cloud 

 and fog and drifting ice maintain a temperature almost as low as that prevailing 

 in clearer regions 10° to the south. The regional distribution in the amount of cloud 

 depends very much on the presence of the sea, for a cloudy zone does extend to a 

 high latitude where there is ocean, whereas a relatively small amount of cloud may 

 prevail in much lower latitudes over a land surface. The annual mean amount of 

 cloud from latitudes 55° to 65° is about 7-5, rising to over S'O at the South Orkneys 

 and over that portion of the region where sea and ice meet. The winters there are 

 much clearer than the summers owing to the continental conditions due to the freezing 

 up of the sea to the south. 



I have in the preceding reports made some reference to atmospheric circulation in 

 the Weddell Sea area, pointing out that as suggested by Neumayer as far back as 1872 

 " the brave west" or rather north-west winds prevailed to at least 62° S. ; while the east 

 wind system is met with in higher latitudes after a zone of varial;>le.s is passed, whose 

 position is determined by the proximity of the Antarctic continent. Thus, at the winter 

 station of the "Gauss," in latitude 66° 02' S. longitude 89° 38' E., 73 per cent, of all 

 the winds were from the east, while on the summer voyage of the " Valdivia" the west 

 wind system was left behind in as low a latitude as 56° S. in 20° K., and east winds 

 prevailed to 65° S. over that portion of the voyage from 20° to 60° E. On the return 

 voyage the west winds were again met with in latitude 55° S. During the summer 

 •cruises of the " Scotia" east winds blew with increased frequency and force to the south 



