374 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



maximum, minimum, dry, and wet bulb thermometers. An aneroid barometer was installed in 

 the living-house 15.1 meters above sea level. Wind motions were determined by dial readings 

 of the anemometer at 8 A. M., noon, and 8 P. M., local mean time, the true directions being 

 estimated by eye from weather vane. Temperature and other observations were also made at 

 the same times. The elevation of the top of the anemometer staff, which was mounted on the 

 storehouse, was about 20 meters above sea level. It may be noted that the wind is locally 

 affected at Cape Flora by the proximity of bluffs 350 meters high. This is especially notice- 

 able when open water affords another means of determining the wind direction. 



RECORDS 



The various meteorological instruments were compared with standard instruments before 

 embarking and corrections determined. Unfortunately the difficulties and exigencies of the 

 retreat in 1905 were such as to necessitate abandoning practically the entire meteorological 

 outfit. Accordingly only the initial comparisons were available for the correction of the records. 

 This is to be regretted, especially so in the case of the barometers. 



The corrected records at the Teplitz Bay and Cape Flora stations are given on pages 375 to 

 471 ; the final summaries and reductions resulting will be found on pages 472 to 482. In view 

 of the fact that all of the records, in conformity with the standards used by the United States 

 Weather Bureau, have been made in the Fahrenheit scale for temperature and in the English 

 measure for wind and atmospheric pressure, these systems have been retained in the various 

 compilations. As will be noted, no records are given for relative humidity, vapor pressure, or 

 dew point ; this is owing to the fact that with the insufficient apparatus available no reliable 

 results could be obtained under the condition of prevailing low temperatures. 



In addition to the work at these two principal stations numerous irregular observations 

 were made as time permitted at various points. Of these only the records made on the sledge 

 trips are here recorded as being of interest in indicating the conditions of travel in the Archi- 

 pelago (see pages 483 to 487). 



Observations preceding 12 hours of September 22, 1903, were made on board the "America" 

 in Teplitz Bay ; after that time they were made at the final station, Camp Abruzzi, Teplitz Bay. 

 The times of observation preceding 12 hours of September 28 are 45 M. M. T. east ; on and 

 after that time local mean time is used ; aneroid barometer used through September 21 ; mer- 

 curial barometer after that date. 



The following abbreviations are used in the tabulations : 



T trace of precipitation S m moist snow 



R rain S 1 sleet 



S d dry snow H hail 



C calm DN during night 



Cloud classifications : 



A-Cu alto-cumulus A-S alto-stratus 



Ci cirrus Ci-Cu cirro-cumulus 



Ci-S cirro-stratus Cu cumulus 



Cu-N cumulo-nimbus Fr-Cu fracto-cuuiulus 



Fr-N fracto-nimbus Fr-S fracto-stratus 



N nimbus S stratus 



S-Cu strato-cumulus H haze 



* fog ** dense fog 



Cloud characters appearing in parentheses, thus (Ci-Cu), refer to upper clouds, all other 

 references being to lower clouds. A totally clouded sky is counted as amount of cloudiness 

 ten, a perfectly clear sky being counted zero. Otherwise the tabulations are explained suffi- 

 ciently by the column headings. 



