THE ICE-FREE REFUGIA OF NORTHWESTERN SCANDINAVIA 



325 



spite of this high value the snow cover, which is very unevenly distributed, 

 quickly disappears during the short warm season, when temperatures of 

 25 to 30°C were measured on rock surfaces. Evaporation is more important 

 than melting because of the dryness of the air. A normal value for the relative 



Fig. 2. Bunger"s Oasis, East Antarctica (after Dolgushin, 1958). 



humidity seems to be only 25 per cent. The flora of Hunger's "oasis" is very 

 meagre (Gollerbach and Syrojeckowskij, 1958), and probably the extreme 

 dryness of the climate is one of the main reasons for this. However, lichens 

 and algae are found everywhere, and mosses appear in wetter places. The 

 dark colours of the plants are very characteristic, making possible a strong 

 absorption of solar radiation. 



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