Some Notes concerning the Vegetation of Germania Land 367 



days from the 17th to the 21st, when the temperature oscillated 

 between — 0.6° and — 8.9°. The ground was covered with snow 

 which lay slushy and heavy; without being acted upon, to any parti- 

 cular degree, by the wind, the snow w-as allowed to fill the low- 

 lying places and depressions so that it made one uniform surface. 



The last day of the year 1907 was until that time also the coldest 

 day of the winter with a temperature of — 32.0°. 



January 1908 was somewhat milder than in 1907. A violent 

 snowstorm, in the middle of the month, blew the hills free from 

 snow, and considerable quantities of gravel and pebbles were carried 

 in the drift so that the snowdrifts were coloured dark thereby. Some 

 snow fell again some days later during calm weather, so that an 

 opportunity offered itself to measure the thickness of the layer of 

 fresh snow which had fallen. It is very difficult to get a reliable 

 computation of the precipitation which falls in the form of snow 

 by the ordinary apparatus, especially when it is blowing. For that 

 reason it may be of interest to give some figures which show the 

 unreliability of the results, even under conditions of calm. On 

 January 18, 7 cm. of fresh snow fell, which according to the rain-gauge 

 measured 3.4 mm. On the day following 11 cm. fell, which according 

 to the rain-gauge amounted to 2.6 mm. only. It is often quite 

 impossible to decide, during drifting, whether any fresh snow is 

 falling or not. 



As 1 stayed at the station at Pustervig from January 29 to 

 March 6, 1908, I had an opportunity of comparing the atmospheric 

 conditions which prevail there during a winter-month with the 

 conditions at Danmarks Havn. As was to be expected they agreed 

 fairly well as regards temperature, pressure and amount of moisture. 

 At Pustervig also, the snow-covering was inconsiderable on the 

 more level ground. The distance from Danmarks Havn is about 

 75 km., the indentation of coast-line is the deepest in Germania 

 Land. Unfortunately I had no opportunity of visiting the place at 

 summer-time as the station there was vacated on June 1st. 



I have calculated the mean temperature for a month of 29 

 days, from February 7th to March 6th. The result is —28.07° at 

 Danmarks Havn as against — 28.0 at Pustervig, where, however, there 

 were many days far colder than any in the former place, where 

 only one day, February 21 ( — 37.7°), had a temperature below — 35.0° 

 as against five such, and even colder, days at Pustervig. 



The month of March had less precipitation than in 1907. 

 On the 28th we had the last snowstorm of that winter; during 

 the storm snow, to a depth of 25 — 30 cm., was blown away from 



