U2 WIND. 



in a S.S.E. direction, and tlic.y reached a height uf 3,6.JU feet in a little over :30 miles from 

 the coast, after which they descended somewhat owing to crossing the Mertz Glacier valley. 

 After passing the valley they regained their previous height and then slowly ascended to their 

 furthest point in 70° 36' 8. and 148° 10' E. where the heiglit was just over 5.900 feet. In the 

 description of their journey a great deal is said about the strength of the wind, but very 

 little about the direction. This is not to be wondered at considering the strength of the 

 wind which was so great as to be a constant handicap to their efiorts. While crossing the 

 Meitz Glacier valley they experienced a wind from the 8.\V. which was obviously blomng 

 down the valley. On November 24, while still in the depression due to the valley and moving 

 to the S.E., the remark is made 'we were marching a little to the east of the wind,' 

 so I gather that here the wind was between S.S.E. and S. They continued to encounter head 

 winds, but there is only one more entry giving a definite direction. On December 5 ' for the 

 first time on the trip the wind veered round to the south-east.' From this remark I 

 conclude that the general trend of the wind was from the south. Until we have the meteoro- 

 logical observations taken on this impor-tant journey we can only say that on the plateau 

 between the magnetic pole and Adelie Land the wind is very strong and from some direction 

 near the south. 



Professor David's Party, which a-cended the plateau to the magnetic pole from the Ross 

 Sea side in December 1908, experienced on first reaching the plateau winds from tlie west, 

 or slightly north of west. These were apparently winds blowing down the declivity which 

 continued the valley up which they had ascended. As far as I can gather from Professor 

 David's account as soon as the eiiects of the glacier valley were left behind the «ind gene- 

 rally blew from some direction between south and south-east, and the sastrugi confirmed this 

 to be the prevailing direction. Thus both David's and Bage's observations point to a southerl}' 

 wind over the plateau near the magnetic pole, but that near the heads of the large glaciers 

 the air motion is towards and down the glacier valleys. 



Winds on the Plateau to the west of Ross Islatul. 



Captain Scott was on the Western Plateau for 30 days reaching 78° S., 146° 30' E. 

 The height of the plateau increased slowly from about 7,500 feet to a little over 7,700 feet 

 at his most westerly point. The frequency of the winds observed is. shown diagrammatically 

 in figure 47(11), page 134. It will be seen that the winds blew almost entirely from direc- 

 tions between S.S.E. and W.S.W., the mean direction being S. 31° W. It is impossible to 

 say whether the observations made on these 30 days can be taken as typical of the general 

 wind conditions at this position, but as the sastrugi were mainly from the S.W. and occa- 

 sionally from the W.S.W. it is probable that they are fairly typical. The chief result is that 

 the winds on the plateau are from a more southerly direction than those revealed by the 

 motion of Erebus smoke. When near to the edge of the plateau Captain Scott encountered 

 both on going and returning stormy winds from the W.S.W., i.e., from the plateau into the 

 head of the glacier valley. 



Winds on the South Polar Plateau. 



Amundsen reached the plateau on November 21, 1911, in 85° 36' S., 167° 42' W. and 

 arrived at the Pole on December 17, he returned along the same track and left the plateau 

 on January 5, 1912. Scott reached the plateau on December 22, 1911, in 85° 10' S., 159° 

 30' E. and the Pole on January 17, he left the plateau from the same position on February 4. 

 Thus Ammidsen made wind observations on the plateau durii^ 44 days (November 22 to 



