GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF TEMPERATURE— PLATEAU. 



39 



During the period that Amundsen and Scott were on the plateau there were parties 

 on the Barrier south of One Ton Camp (latitude 79|-° S.) except dusing the last 17 days 

 so that observations are available for a comparison between the temperatures on the plateau 

 and over the south of the Barrier. The observations on the plateau were made between 

 86° S. and the Pole, we may therefore take the mean latitude of the plateau as being 

 88° S. The mean latitude of the south of the Barrier may be taken as 82° S. 



In figure 12 the thick curve shows the mean daily temperature on the plateau reduced 

 to sea-level, while the thin curve shows the mean daily temperature over the south of the 



30"r 



SOTf 



lOV 



r Plateau 

 \ {reduced to saa Jteyel 

 SoLfth Barrier 



20 25 



November 



December 



January 



February 



Fig, 12. Plateau and Baiiier temperatures. 



Barrier. It wilt be seen that except at the end of November the reduced plateau tempera- 

 tures were generally lower than the simultaneous temperatures over the south of the Barrier. 

 It is interesting to notice the large correlation between the temperatures on the plateau and 

 on the Barrier, all the larger changes affecting both regions. The high temperature on the 

 plateau recorded by Amundsen at the end of November occurred during a blizzard, which 

 kept him confined to his camp for four days. The wind during this blizzard was verv 

 unusual, being from the N.E. At the same time the weather was nearly calm and cloudless 

 on the Barrier. The high temperature both on the Barrier and plateau at the beginning 

 of December was associated with the storm which held up Captain Scott at the foot of the 

 Beardmore Glacier for several days. 



Table 15 contains the mean values of the reduced plateau temperatures, and the corre- 

 sponding temperature on the south of the Barrier and at the base stations. 



Table 15. 



Mean Temqwrdtiire. 



