THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS AND THEIR CLIMATOLOGY. 

 Polar and Equatorial Winds. 



437 



winds of the northern hemisphere are in excess only hetween the 

 parallels of 10° and 30° ; i.e., they are the dominant winds over a 

 zone 20° of lat. in breadth, while the equatorial winds of the southern 

 hemisphere hold the mastery from 35° S. to 10° N. ; i. e., they are the 

 dominant winds over a zone 45° of lat. in breadth, while the others 

 cover a space not half so broad. This table, moreover, shows that 

 the debatable ground between the winds, or what may be called the 

 oiull belt, in tliis general movement from poles towards the equator, 

 and from equator towards the poles, is, in the northern hemisphere, 

 between the parallels of 25° and 50°. In the southern the field 

 of battle is narrowed down to a single belt (between 35° and 40°) ; 

 here the two winds exactly counterbalance each other. As the 

 seaman proceeds from this medial belt, the winds increase belt for 

 belt very nearly jjaW j)<^ssu ; on the polar side, the polar winds 

 — on the equatorial, the equatorial winds, gaining more and more 

 in days of annual duration, and more and more in average velocity 

 each. 



853. The fact that the influence of the polar indraught upon 

 Extent of the polar the winds should cxtcnd from the antarctic to the 

 indraught. parallel of 40° S., while that from the arctic is so 



feeble as scarcely to be felt in 50° N., is indicative enough as to 

 difference in degree of aerial rarefaction over the two regions. The 

 significance of this fact is enhanced by the "brave west winds," 

 which^fbeing bound to the place of greatest rarefaction, rush more 



