METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



179 





Port Foulke. 



ISGO-Bl. 

 4, = 780 18' 

 ^ = 73 00 



Van Rensselaer. 



1853-4-5. 



780 37' 



70 53 



Port Kennedy. 

 1858-59. 

 720 01' 

 94 14 



January . 

 February . 

 March 

 April 

 May . 

 June. 

 July . 

 August 

 September 

 October . 

 November . 

 December . 









— 25°.9'7 

 —24.88 



22.32 



—11.01 



+ 23.Yt 



+ 33.85 



+ 40.54 



( + 36.07) 



+ 22.60 



+ T.60 



+ 2.84 



—12.81 



28°. 22 



—26.43 

 —34.88 

 —10.35 

 + 13.45 

 + 30.12 

 + 38.19 

 + 31.82 

 + 13.45 

 —3.58 

 —21.95 

 —31.12 



— 34°.40 

 —37.08 

 —18.22 



—2.92 

 + 15.04 

 + 35.11 

 + 40.12 

 + 36.95 

 +25.43 



+ 7.44 

 —11.60 

 —33.63 



Spring 

 Summer . 

 Autumn . 

 Winter 









—3.19 



( + 36.82) 



+ 11.01 



—21.22 



—10.59 



+ 33.38 



—4.03 



—28.59 



—2.04 

 + 37.40 



+ 7.09 

 —35.04 



Year. 



( + 5.86) 



—2.46 



+ 1.85 



At Port Foulke every month, excepting April, was warmer than the correspond- 

 ing month at Van Rensselaer Harbor, and on the average of the year the tempera- 

 ture was 8°.32 milder than at the latter place, and 4°. 01 milder than at Port 

 Kennedy. Port Foulke agrees more nearly with Port Kennedy in not showing 

 the excessive cold spring and cold autumn of Van Rensselaer, but differs most con- 

 spicuously from either by a mild winter. The summer temperatures differ least, as 

 the presence of ice and perpetual snow tends to keep the temperature near the 

 freezing point. The range of the summer and winter mean temperature is 58°.0, at 

 Van Rensselaer Harbor 62°.0, and at Port Kennedy 72^.4. This difference between 

 the extreme seasons is gradually increasing as we proceed northward on the west 

 coast of Greenland, thus — 



Jacobshavcn 



. t=690 12' 



difference 41^.6 



Omenak . . . . 



70 41 



45.8 



TJpernavik. 



72 47 



47.7 



Wolstenholm Sound . 



76 33 



66.7 



Port Foulke 



78 18 



58.0 



Van Rensselaer Harbor 



78 37 



62.0 



Tlie difference of Wolstenholm Sound appears to be anomalous and must be 

 accounted for by local influences. 



To express the observed temperature fluctuations analytically by means of Bessel's 

 periodic function, requires, strictly, months of equal length, especially when the 

 annual range of temperature is considered. This is effected in the present investi- 

 gation^ by dividing the year into twelve normal months of 30.42 (nearly) days, and 



* In the meteorological discussions for Van Rensselaer Harbor and Port Kennedy an attempt was 

 made to do this by an approximate method, but the following strict process, now pursued, will not 

 be found too laborious. For common years : Retain only 0.42 of January 31 as belonging to that 



