290 POLAR PROBLEMS 



elusions. The most important research is without doubt that of Dr. 

 G. C. Simpson (now head of the British Meteorological Office), who 

 was in charge of the meteorological research in the Antarctic on Scott's 

 last expedition^ and who has produced three large volumes of data 

 based on observations made in the Antarctic. 



Since only the Australian and American sectors of the great 

 Antarctic Continent are at all adequately mapped, it is of course 

 impossible to give more than a very incomplete description of the 

 land near the south pole. The edge of the great Ross Ice Barrier and 

 the west coasts of Ross Sea to Cape Adare are known. Much is known 

 from Cape Adare to the Gaussberg (see Fig. 5). From the latter right 

 round to Coats Land is totally unknown, save for doubtful coasts 

 such as Enderby Land. Weddell Sea and Graham Land are charted, 

 and then all is conjectural until we reach King Edward VII Land 

 again. From inland journeys it seems probable that a great deal of 

 the continent exceeds 6000 feet in elevation. This is true of the 

 lands to the southwest of Ross Sea, while the pole itself is at a height 

 of over 9000 feet. In Figure 5 it is seen that the Tibetan Plateau 

 is the only one which can compare in area and height with the (prob- 

 able) Antarctic Plateau. Greenland and the Andean Plateau are much 

 smaller. 



THE ANTARCTIC ANTICYCLONE 



It is the presence of this extremely high plateau which determines 

 the chief characteristics of the Antarctic climate and weather. As 

 pointed out by W. H. Hobbs and others, the control of the meteor- 

 ology of the North Polar Regions is maintained by the permanent 

 anticyclone over Greenland. The center of the latter is some 20° 

 of latitude away from the geographic north pole. Much more should 

 we expect the more pronounced topographic conditions of the Ant- 

 arctic Continent to take charge of Antarctic meteorology. 



The temperature changes as we move southward are indicated in 

 Figure 6, where the monthly temperatures are given for Sydney, 

 Hobart, Dunedin, Cape Adare, McMurdo Sound (Ross Island), 

 and the Ross Barrier (some little distance south of Ross Island). 

 For comparison with the latter is given also the mean monthly temper- 

 ature of the parallel of 78° N. It is seen that the Antarctic is much 

 colder — from 10° to 20° F. — during the summer, autumn, and winter, 

 though there is not so much difference in spring. At headquarters 

 on Cape Evans (Ross Island) the sun sets on April 24 and returns on 

 August 21. It does not set between October 24 and February 17 in 

 this latitude (77° 38'). 



1 The writer of this article was senior geologist on this expedition but was in charge of the me- 

 teorological station when Dr. Simpson was engaged sledging. Dr. Simpson's research is. published in 

 the scientific results of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-1912, Meteorologi' (Vol. i: Discussion, 

 in which see especially Ch. 7, "The General Air Circulation Over the Antarctic"; Vol. 2: Weather 

 Maps and Pressure Curves; \'ol. 3: Tables), Calcutta, 1919 (Vols, i and 2) and London, 1924 (Vol. 3). 



