As Superintendent of Statistics, Mr. LEMPFEKT has boon in charge of the revision of the weekly reports 

 ami other publications which have demanded the whole of his personal attention. I trust that he will be 

 in a position to take up the interesting question of the sequence of weather changes in the Antarctic before 

 the close of the current year. 



M KTKOTtOLOG K 'A I, RESULTS. 



Although not strictly in accordance with the original programme, and inadequate as regards the obser- 

 vations of temperature, the papers published in this volume represent the primary discussion of the 

 meteorological results of the Expedition. 



It may be useful if 1 give in a few sentences what appear to be the salient features of the climate 

 according to the two years' experience of the explorers. 



Although the Winter Quarters were regarded as an exceptionally warm position in relation to others in 

 the locality, temperature ranged from a maximum of only 42 F. to a minimum of 58 5 F. Fluctuations 

 are extraordinarily rapid and violent at all seasons. They are sometimes, but not always, associated with 

 changes of wind direction. Polar winds often bring with them an increase of temperature. 



The daily range is large in consequence of the sudden fluctuations, but the mean diurnal variation, as 

 represented by the averages of the two-hourly readings, amounts to only 3 in midsummer and 1 in 

 midwinter. The time of maximum as regards the latter is rather dubious, but there is evidence of a 

 diurnal and semidiurnal oscillation of temperature even in the Antarctic night. 



The summers were remarkably cold. Very few days gave a mean temperature above the freezing-point. 

 The highest mean temperature for any month was 26 - 2 F., the lowest - 21 - F. 



The air is remarkably dry and transparent, fog is comparatively infrequent ; precipitation is slight, but 

 there may be deep drifts of snow. Sunshine is remarkably abundant; the total for 1903 equalled that for 

 Scilly, and in December of that year an average of 16 hours per day was registered. The sun's rays are 

 intensely hot and terrestrial radiation extremely vigorous. 



Pressure ranged between 30 '181 and 28-140 inches; the two extremes occurring in consecutive months 

 of 1902. The barometer stands high as compared with the values obtained for other positions in the 

 Antarctic. The sequence of pressure changes as shown on the barographic records presents no very 

 noteworthy peculiarities, and the use of the barometer for anticipating coming weather is less effective 

 than in this country. 



The pressure observations show the common semidiurnal oscillation. It amounts to 0' 002 inch, with 

 maxima at about 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. at all seasons of the year. The variation of twenty-four hours' period 

 has, on the average, an amplitude of twice that amount, but the times of maximum are different at 

 different seasons. 



The changes of pressure in high southern latitudes may be regarded as associated with the passage of 

 cyclonic depressions much in the same way, mntati* imitmn/i.-; as elsewhere. 



The surface winds are chiefly easterly. Northerly and southerly winds occur, but winds from between 

 south-west and north-west are almost unknown. The chief characteristic of the wind is its gustiness. 

 Gales are experienced from every quarter between north-east round to south-west on the eastern side, but, 

 on the whole, they are not so frequent as in the British Isles. 



The direction of motion of the lower clouds may be from any point of the compass. The resultant is a 

 moderate frequency from the south-east ; there is a marked deficiency as regards the west. 



The resultant motion of smoke from Mount Erebus is from south of west and that of the upper clouds 

 from the west. 



Subject to some uncertainty on account of the state of the instrument, the mean electrical potential is 

 rather lower than at Kew, but abnormally high in drifting snow, or ice-crystals. A diurnal variation is 

 shown in summer, with a maximum in the middle of the day and a minimum in the early morning hours. 

 The seasonal variation has a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter. No relation is shown 

 between potential and aurora. 



I add a few comments upon some of the points which have been raised in the course of the discussion. 



& 



