NATURE 
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1913. 
ANTARCTIC METEOROLOGY. 
National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904. 
Meteorology. Part ii. Comprising Daily Syn- 
chronous Charts October 1, 1901, to March 31, 
1904. Prepared in the Meteorological Office, 
under the superintendence of M. W. Campbell 
Hepworth, C.B. Pp. 26+charts.. (London: 
The Royal Society, 1913.) Price 21s. 
J HIS work completes the series of meteor- 
ological investigations which were begun 
after the return of the National Antarctic Expedi- 
tion in the year 1904. While the first volume, 
which appeared in the year 1908, dealt with the 
meteorological observations of the Discovery 
station and of the sledge journeys carried out 
from there, the second volume now published gives 
the results of the International Meteorological 
Cooperation, which existed from 1901 to 1904, 
in order to discuss, in a summarised form, the 
weather conditions of the higher southern latitudes 
during that period of investigation. For this 
purpose it was from the first arranged, at the 
instigation of the German authorities, to construct 
daily synoptic weather charts of the higher southern 
latitudes for the period October 1, 1901— 
March 31, 1903. The data for these charts were 
to be supplied by the land stations on the southern 
continents, and by ships of all nationalities which 
were during that time further south than 30° S. 
latitude. These were requested to take observa- 
tions daily at the time of Greenwich noon, relating 
to air-pressure, temperature of the air and sea, 
amount and motion of clouds, precipitation, and 
other noteworthy phenomena. 
As the ship Discovery remained fixed in the ice 
a second year, it was agreed to extend the Inter- 
national Cooperation for another year, viz., to 
March 31, 1904. The data thus obtained, which 
covered a period of two and a half years, were, 
after the termination of the cooperation, collected 
at the Meteorological Office in London, and at 
the Bureau of the German South Polar Expedition 
in Berlin, and at both places the plan of con- 
structing weather charts was then further con- 
sidered. The result of the English discussion, 
prepared under the superintendence of Com- 
mander Hepworth, is contained in the volume now’ 
under review. The German discussion, which was 
handed over by the leader of the German South 
Polar Expedition, Dr. von Drygalski, to myself 
and Mr. Mecking, is under publication. A first 
part, which dealt with the monthly isobaric charts 
from October, 1901, to March, 1904, and the 
climatic conditions of Cape Horn, was published 
NO. 2301, VOL. 92| 
393 
in the summer of 1911. The continuation in the 
course of next year will include the daily syn- 
chronous weather charts, together with their 
discussion. 
In the work under review the weather charts 
of the south polar region are drawn on the polar 
projection on the scale of about 1: 130 millions 
for the period in question. Of the elements re- 
lating to the weather only wind-direction and 
force, air-pressure (without correction for gravity), 
air-temperature at individual stations, and at the 
ships’ positions, are given; not sea-temperature, 
cloud, and hydrometeors, which are probably 
omitted for want of space. With the aid of air- 
pressure and wind observations, isobars are 
drawn, but are apparently limited essentially to 
simultaneous observations at Greenwich noon only, 
without regard to changes of weather from day to 
day. Consequently the run of the isobars on the 
charts between positions of far-distant ships is 
practically disconnected and uncertain. By the 
addition of the regular four-hourly ships’ observa- 
tions a much better basis for drawing the isobars 
might have been obtained; this will be done in 
the German publication. 
It is also noticeable that the isobars between 
neighbouring places of observation are not 
brought into harmony and connection, which in 
many cases might have been easy, and would 
appear to be necessary. Compare, for instance, 
the isobars of November 4, 1902, southward of 
Australia and eastward of South America. In 
these circumstances one could not, in most cases, 
accurately locate “High” and “Low’”’ on the 
charts and identify them from day to day. It 
therefore seems hazardous to use the charts for 
systematic investigations relating to the velocity 
of translation of anti-cyclones and cyclones. In 
the brief text which accompanies the charts, the 
author has restricted himself to noting the 
amount of progression of nine depressions only, 
which could be identified on the charts after about 
every eight days. From these he has drawn the 
following conclusion :—‘If the centres of the re- 
spective cyclonic depressions have been correctly 
located, the average daily rate at which they 
progressed was nearly 300 nautical miles.”’ 
As regards anticyclones the case was only more 
favourable in the area of the Australian and South 
American continents. But there is no detailed 
information in the text as to what new results 
could be deduced from the charts in question; 
generally speaking only the older investigations 
of Hepworth, Russell, Lockyer, and Rawson are 
referred to, and the general remark made that the 
views of the first-named are confirmed by the new 
publication. Commander Hepworth especially ob- 
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