132 WINDS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. 



DEDUCTIONS AND IIEMAIIKS. 



1. In the arctic regions of North America, lying within the polar circle, the 

 mean direction of the wind is about N. N. W. and well defined. This is seen on 

 Plate VII. The arrows, at six out of the seven stations (all except Port Bowen), 

 are neai'ly parallel, and of a length indicating a jirogressive motion of about 40 per 

 cent, of the entire distance travelled by the wind. This is a greater ratio than 

 exists in (my other part of the world, except within the limits of the trade winds. 

 But it must be borne in mind that it is the relative, and not the ahsolute progressive 

 motion, that is here considered. The latter may be, and probably is small ; so small 

 as to induce Parry and Barrow to believe that a iKrfect calm exists at the north 

 pole. 



2. Between the parallels of latitude 60° and 60° there appears to be a belt of 

 easterly or north-easterly winds. The observations at Great Bear Lake, Great 

 Slave Lake, and Fort Enterprise (Plate VII., Nos. 7, 8, and 9), in the interior of 

 British America indicate this; as also those at the two stations in Greenland, and 

 at Reikiavik in Iceland. At Sitka, in Russian America (No. 10), which is a little 

 farther south, the mean direction is also easterly, and it is not improbable that the 

 southern limit of this belt, instead of coinciding with a parallel of latitude, follows 

 some such course as is represented by the dotted line on Plate VII. and others, viz. 

 a less circle having its pole at ahout lat. 84° and Ion. 105° west from Greenwich. 

 Such a circle, drawn at a distance of 28° 20' from its pole, passes north of all the 

 stations in the eastern hemisphere except Spitzenbergen (see Plate I.), and it is 

 remarkable that there too the mean direction of the wind is easterly, if we may 

 rely on the observations taken by Parry during the few months that he spent there. 

 The observations which have been taken at Alten, in Lapland, and at Hammei'fest, 

 in Norway, should show the same result, if the above limit is correctly assigned. 



3. Passing south of this circle, we find a zone or belt of westerly winds, about 

 2.3i° in breadth, entirely encircling the globe, and having the pole of its southern 

 as well as its northern limit near the point before mentioned, viz. in latitude 84° 

 north, and longitude 105° west. This zone, which is exhibited in full on Plates I. 

 and VII., and in detaclied portions on Plates VIII., IX., and X., embraces the 

 southern portion of British America, all of the United States except the extreme 

 southern part, nearly the whole of Europe, and most of the northern half of Asia, 

 and at all the stations from which observations have been obtained, throughout this 

 entire region, and the corresponding parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the 

 mean direction of the wind is westerly, with very few exceptions. This will appear 

 from the following more particular statements. 



