282 



METEOROLOGY m RUSSIA. 



Barnaul, in West Siberia, has the greatest range of temperature, at 

 least from November to May. lu the winter Nertschiusk has a rel- 

 atively- small range; it is the constant winter of Eastern Siberia; in Jan- 

 uary the range is even smaller than at St. Petersburg. The maxima 

 are clearly seen in Nertschinsk in March and November, while January 

 and July have the least range. The temperature sometimes may fall as 

 low in Western Siberia as in the eastern part of that country, only in 

 the latter the cold is constant, and the thermometer never rises above 

 the freezing-point from the first days of November to the middle of 

 March. The following table gives the absolute maxima and minima of 

 the winter months in the same period ; to which I have added those of 

 Jakutsk for ten years, 1845-1854, from observations taken thrice a day 



Tiie absolute range is less in January in Eastern Siberia than in any 

 other of the given points, while it sur[)asses 100° at Barnaul. At this 

 last point 30°.5 were observed on the 4th of December, 1800, and — G7.0 

 on the 10th of the same month, being a difference of 103.5° in twelve 

 days. These enormous variations of temperature have also been ob- 

 served in the valley of the Jenissei — for example at Krasnojarsk, 3.3.1 on 

 L'8th of November, 1840, and —51.2 on the 30th, being 84.3 difference 

 in 40 hours. In Eastern Siberia these enormous changes are unknown 

 in mid-winter. 



The pressure of the air has received much less attention in Enssia 

 than the temperature, and this can be said of the observations, as well as 

 of their calculation and tabulation. We do not possess as yet good 

 barometrical tables, although we may hope to have them, as Lieutenant 

 Elliatscluf and Baron Maydell^ both of the physical observatory, are occu- 

 pied with the reduction and discussion of all the barometrical observa- 

 tions which they could obtain in Russia. The largest collection of 

 barometrical means for Kussia is that in Buchan's work on " Mean 

 pressure and winds." 



The great summer depression of the barometer is strongly marked in 

 Southern and Central liassia, and is perceptible even farther to the 

 west. It probably attains its greatest amount on the plateau of Cen- 

 tral Asia, from Eastern Turkestan to the Gobi, but we have not a single 

 year of continued barometrical observation iu this widely-extended 

 country. The greatest amount of the summer depression known to us 



