234 THE ANTARCTIC. 



attention ; but unfortunately our knowledge of it is more- 

 incomplete than even that of wind and atmospheric 

 pressure. Nevertheless what we know establishes the 

 surprisingly low summer temperatures, which are beyond 

 anything recorded of the Arctic regions. Floeberg Beach, 

 for example, situated in latitude 8 2° 2j' N. on the edge of 

 a group of islands, and possibly near an extensive polar 

 sea, shows in the warmest month a mean temperature 

 of 2>^'2>° F- The mean summer temperature of the south 

 polar regions is exhibited by the following tables, which 

 are based on the observations so far made ; and it must 

 be borne in mind that the temperature of the sea is 

 considerably higher than that of the neighbouring ice- 

 clad lands. 1 



i. Region of Victoria Land (Ross) : — 



Latitude. Air. Sea. 



60° to 65° S. 30-38° F. 29-48° F. 



65° to 70° S. 29-66° F. 28-76° F. 



70° to 74° S. 28-22° F. 28-04° F. 



74° to 78° S. 24-98° F. 29-12° F. 



2. Region between longitude jj° and 99° E. {CJial- 

 lenger) : — 



60° to 66-30° S. 3o'92° F. 3 2 '54° F« 



3. Region between longitude 6° and 58° W. (Ross) : — 



6o° to 65° S. 30-92° F. 31-28° F. 



65° to 71° S. 29-48° F. 30-74° F. 



The extremes of temperature observed by Ross in 

 the region of Victoria Land were : — 



Maxima: On 31st December, 1841, in latitude 66° 29' S.,. 

 longitude i56°29' E., 43-52° F. 

 On nth January, 1841, in latitude 71° 15' S., 

 longitude i7i°i5' E., 40-46° F. 

 Minima: On 3rd March, 1841, in latitude 67° 45' S., 

 longitude i67°i' E., ir66°F. 

 On 5th February, 1841, in latitude 77° n' S.„ 

 longitude i57°52' W., 12-92° F. 



1 From Fricker's Antarctic Drift-ice, p. 89 and seq. 



