CLIMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN 

 ANTARCTICA AND AUSTRALIA 



Griffith Taylor 



In this brief study of some of the more important of the dimatic 

 problems concerning both Antarctica and the adjacent continents 

 I shall discuss the Australian sector almost entirely, partly because 

 by far the greater amount of Antarctic meteorological research has 

 been done in this region, partly because the adjacent Australian 

 data are readily obtainable, and partly because my own personal 

 knowledge is confined to this sector. 



Australia 



locational relations of antarctica 



The continent of Antarctica occupies a large portion of the area 

 comprised within the Antarctic Circle (66>^° S.), which indeed limits 

 it on the Australian side. 

 On this side (to northward) 

 a belt of ocean 26° of lati- 

 tude wide (about 1800 

 miles) separates Antarctica 

 from the south coast of 

 Australia. On the South 

 American side the long pen- 

 insula of Graham Land in 

 Antarctica projects towards 

 the still longer peninsula 

 of South America, and the 

 two continents are only 

 about 850 miles apart (see 

 Fig. i). South Africa is 

 about 35° of latitude (i. e. 

 about 2400 miles) from the 

 hypothetical position of the 

 Antarctic coast nearest to 



it. From these figures it is probable that the broad southern coast of 

 Australia, being opposed to a lengthy parallel coast in Antarctica, is 

 better situated to exhibit climatic relations with Antarctica than are 

 the narrow coasts of South America or the more distant lands of 

 Africa. 



285 



Fig. I — The position and size of Antarctica with respect 

 to the surrounding continents. 



