METEOEOLOGY IN RUSSIA, 



North of 52°. 



287 



The prevalence of southwest winds in the northern part of the country 

 is clearly seen in this table. Even Orenburg and Semipalatinsk, situ- 

 ated between 50° and 52'^, have prevailing east winds, but a great num- 

 ber of southerly also, while Astrachan and Eaimsk have much less 

 southwest and much more northeast winds than all the other points. 

 The differences we notice between the several points are easily accounted 

 for, if we consider the rough mode of observing the wind-gauge and the 

 different local circumstances having an influence on the indications of 

 this instrument. 



I have also noticed an influence of the upper river valley, the winds 

 in the direction of this being generally more frequent. For exam])le, 

 at Tobolsk the Irtysch comes from the southeast, and the winds trom 

 that quarter prevail. At Jschim, Barnaul, and Krasnojarsk the rivers 

 flow from the southwest, and so the local direction corresponds with 

 the general one, giving an enormous prevalence to the southwest winds. 

 At Omsk only this is not the case ; the rivers flow from east and south- 

 east, and yet the prevailing wind is southwest. This is probably due to 

 the very level position of the surroundings of Omsk. The winds of this 

 place can be considered as typical for Western Siberia, north of 52°, 

 that is, a moderate iirevalence of the southwest, extending also to the 

 south and west winds. Three or four years ago nothing accurate was 

 known as to the winds in the basin of the Yenissei. Now we know that 

 the southwest extends as far as there, and jirobably even to the east of 

 this river. 



Further to the east the winds are so rare and irregular in the winter, 

 and calms so general, that I may call this region one of prevailing 

 calms. It embraces the basin of the Lena and the tributaries of the 

 Northern Ocean, east and west of it, as also Transbaikalia. It is the 

 region of the Siberian meteorological pole. The atmosphere is generally 

 clear and calm, with cold generated on the spot by radiation, and not 

 Brought from other places by the winds. We must not imagine that this 

 region is of equal magnitude every winter ; it extends and contracts 

 unperiodically. In very cold winters it stretches westward to the Ural, 

 and even farther, w^hile the warm winters of Western Siberia are those 

 in which it shares in the atmospherical currents of Europe. To prove 

 this I calculated the temperature of the winds at Krasnojarsk in the 



