LXXVIII PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



study of science for its own sake, nor one who did a greater and 

 more lasting work in organizing and co-ordinating Australian 

 meteorology — the late Mr. H. C. Russell — was the first to demon- 

 strate conclusively that these anticyclones move along definite 

 paths from west to east. The mean position of the belt of moving 

 anticyclones is about 35 deg. south latitude. South of latitude 

 40 deg. is another belt of low pressure eddies, either the northern 

 part of huge Antarctic eddies, or secondaries, lying on their 

 northern fringe. 



All these three belts of eddies travel from west to east. As 

 regards their speed of movement, the tropical or monsoonal lows 

 travel about 199 miles per day. The greatest number appear to 

 occur in September, and the quickest movement is developed in 

 October. 



The sub-Antarctic lows in June, 1910, averaged about 360 

 miles per day off the Leeuwin, while over the Bight they attained 

 a speed of about 550 miles a day, and over Tasmania about 360 

 miles a day. 



The centres of high pressure travel at about the same speed as 

 the Antarctic lows south of the high pressure belt. As the air 

 is blowing from the southern side of the anticyclone belt polewards, 

 it is deflected to the left, and becomes part of the Roaring Forties 

 winds; the Antarctic lows are eddies developed within these winds. 

 As these winds are blowing with a slight southerly component, 

 they consequently are moving from warmer towards colder regions. 

 Sooner or later, their dew point is reached, and a dense cloud belt 

 results, like that which is so persistent over Macquarie Island, 

 the Auckland and Campbell Islands, Bounty Island, the Anti- 

 podes, and the Snares, and which gives rise through its constant 

 cold moisture to the development there of such extensive beds of 

 peat. 



It is hard to overestimate the importance of Macquarie Island 

 as a permanent meteorological station for the very important study 

 of these secondary Antarctic lows, as well as for understanding the 

 whole theoretical circulation of the atmosphere. Its wireless 

 meteorological station, established there by Dr. Mawson's Aus- 

 tralasian Antarctic Expedition, is at present supplying daily 

 weather reports to Australasia of very high value for the correct 

 interpretation of Australian and New Zealand weather. This 

 island is ideally situated for the study of the much vexed question 

 of atmospheric circulation in just that part of the belt of the 

 ^great westerly wind current, in which are generated those secondary 

 Antarctic lows which so profoundly affect Australasian weather. 

 Being near the same latitudes as the meteorological observatories 

 established by the enterprise of tlie Argentine Republic at the 

 Falkland Islands, in the Strait of Magellan and Drake Strait, 

 and the normal direction of weather movement being nearly 

 straight from the Falkland Islands to Macquarie Island, the 

 latter island should yield invaluable data as to the speed of 



