445 



The South Orkneys, therefore, would appear to lie within the region of the westerly winds. The centres 

 of low-pressure systems, moving eastward over the islands, usually passed south of the station. Yet the 

 Winter Quarters of the German exploring ship "Gauss," situated on a parallel only 318 miles south of the 

 station on Laurie Island, lay for the most part well on the southern side of these eastward-moving 

 depressions, and was visited by easterly gales associated with the passage eastward of cyclonic systems, 

 the centres of which passed well to the north of the station. 



Areas of low pressure, after passing south of Cape Horn, do not appear, as a rule, to have influenced 

 the weather at Snow Hill during the sojourn there of the Swedish Expedition, until the trough of the 

 depression had reached the 56th meridian of west longitude and had passed to the eastward of the 

 mountains of Danco Land. 



In September and October, 1903, mean pressure was at its lowest at McMurdo Sound, for the period " Discovery," Sep- 

 iluring which the " Discovery " remained there. It was as low as 28 957 inches, which is 204 inch lower iJos" 

 than the mean pressure of the corresponding months in 1 902. The highest barometer reading, 29 586 inches, 

 was taken on the 1st September, when there was no wind, and is 0'268 inch lower than the highest in 

 September and October, 1902; the lowest, 28 '303 inches, was observed on the 23rd of the same month, 

 when there was a fresh breeze from south, and is 0'016 inch lower than the lowest in the corresponding 

 period of the previous year. This range of 1 283 inches is 252 inch smaller than the range of pressure 

 in the corresponding months of the previous year. The mean temperature in the two months, - 12 -7 F., 

 is 2 '4 lower than the mean temperature of September and October, 1902. The maximum temperature, 

 13 - 2 F., noted on the 28th September, with a fresh breeze from south-east, is l - 8 lower than the 

 maximum registered in the same months of the previous year, when the wind came from the same 

 direction as a gentle breeze. The minimum, -58 - 5 F., registered on the 20th September and 

 associated with a calm, is 15 lower than the minimum of September and October in the previous year, 

 which occurred in a calm. The range of temperature, 71' 7, is 13' 2 larger than the range in the same 

 season of 1902. 



At Cape Armitage during these months the thermometers were read twice a day, usually at about noon Cape Armiiage, Sep- 

 and 4 p.m. ; and these observations, 106 in all, give a mean of - 18 '6 F., or 2 0- 7 lower than the mean of 1903 

 49 observations obtained at, or about, noon each day in September and October, 1902. The maximum 

 temperature in these months at Cape Armitage, 10 '5 F., observed on the 27th October, is also the same 

 as the maximum temperature in the same months of the previous year; the minimum temperature, 

 -64 - 6 F., registered on the 20th September, is 7 - l lower than the minimum in the corresponding 

 months of 1902, and the range, 75'l, is 7'l larger. 



The weather at McMurdo Sound was characterised by blue sky on 13 days ; by cloudy, or overcast, sky 

 on 48- days; by snow on 20 days ; by mist on 12 days; and by fog on 19 days. Aurora was observed 

 on 12 days. Strong winds, force 6-7, were experienced on 31 days; and the wind attained gale force, 

 8-10, on 9 days. Out of 732 observations of wind direction, 24 per cent, were from north-eastward, 

 29 per cent, from eastward, 7 '5 per cent, from northward, and 11 per cent, from south-eastward; 23 per 

 cent, were of calms or variable*) ; and the remainder were of winds from the remaining directions other 

 than west. 



On a sledge journey to Cape Crozier, undertaken by Lieutenant RoYDS and party, from the 7th to the 17th Lieutenant ROYDS to 

 September, 1903, inclusive, a mean temperature of -37 F. obtained. The mean temperature during the tomber'lQoa' **^' 

 same time at Winter Quarters was -20 -7 F. The maximum temperature recorded, -5 F., on the 7th, 

 when the wind was from south-east, force 5, is 9 lower than the maximum during the same time at Winter 

 Quarters, registered on the same day, when the wind was from south-east, force 3 ; the minimum, 

 - 61' 2 F., noted on the 16th, when there was no wind, is 24 lower than the lowest during the same 

 period at Winter Quarters, which occurred on the same day, associated with a breeze from east-north-east, 

 force 7. 



On 5 days of the journey the sledge party had the wind from cast Ky north ; on 2 days the direction 

 was south-west; and on 4 days there was no wind. At Winter Quarters during the whole of this time the 

 wind came from east-north-east. The mean of observations for wind force, as estimated by the travellers, 

 comes out at 1'4, while at Winter Quarters the mean force was 3. 



