IV. 



SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.* 

 By HEEMAN G. SIMMONS. 



HAVING been asked by Captain Sverdrup to contribute a statement of 

 the results of our meteorological observations, I will endeavour to do 

 so to the best of my ability, though it must be borne in mind that I am 

 not a specialist. 



That particular prominence is accorded to the temperature observa- 

 tions is partly because readers in general are perhaps more interested in 

 this than other phenomena, and also because I have not had time to 

 work out other summaries and averages than the following, which, for 

 the greater part, were done during the expedition itself. 



The plan of the observations should, perhaps, first be explained. 

 "When under way, readings of barometric pressure, temperature of the 

 atmosphere, humidity of the air (measured with a psychrometer- 

 thermometer), temperature of the surface of the sea, velocity and 

 directions of the wind, directions of the drift of the clouds, nature and 

 amount of the clouds and precipitation, were taken every four hours. 

 To these were added the particulars necessary for correction when they 

 were not entered in the ship's journal. In harbour the observations were 

 taken at intervals of two hours. Additional observations were made of 

 the humidity of the air with the hair-hygrometer, and the precipitation 

 measured ; when here, too, appliances for registering the pressure of the 

 atmosphere and the temperature were also put up. The maximum and 

 minimum thermometers were read morning and evening. The greater 

 number of these series of observations should be tolerably complete, 

 notwithstanding the short breaks which occur now and again, caused by 

 the absence of the observer, or for some other reason. Greater intervals 

 occur in the readings of the psychrometer-thermometer, as at a very 

 few degrees below 0Cent. it gave quite useless indications, a fact 

 which has already been noted by previous polar expeditions, and also in 

 the registration of temperatures with the thermograph, as its clockwork 

 stopped at low degrees or sudden variations of temperature. 



In the following, particulars are given of each year, reckoning from 

 summer to summer. 



* From the Swedish. 

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