THE EFFECT OF POLAR ICE ON THE WEATHER. 185 



At the present stage of our enquiries it appears to 

 me that one of the most important is, as to whether the 

 Great Southern ice barrier consists of 'Palaeocrystic ice,' 

 i.e., remains from some long distant Glacial Period, or of 

 ' Recent Ice,' i.e. in constant formation varying in quantity 

 as the deposition of snow varies from time to time, in 

 cycles of yet unknown period. 



The removal from the Ross Ice Barrier of such an almost 

 inconceivable mass of ice as one 30 miles from north to 

 south, and of unknown width, (but the barrier was originally 

 estimated by Ross as 400 miles from east to west), and of 

 probably 1,400 to 1,600 feet in thickness, and if of Palseo- 

 crystic formation, not to be renewed under the present 

 conditions of our globe, is very startling, and tends towards 

 Professor Richthofen's rather ominous hints of l a (tem- 

 porary) general drying up.' 



But this vast change in the 4 Ross Ice Barrier,' almost 

 due south of our shores or rather of New Zealand, does not 

 perhaps, more immediately affect them; borne northwards 

 to the Antarctic Circle, by the prevailing south winds, the 

 drift meets the easterly current due to prevailing west 

 winds of the Great Southern Ocean, and is carried towards 

 the American continent, as plainly shown on our diagram. 

 Referring to Sir Clements Markham's valuable paper in 

 Geographical Journal of July, 1901, dividing the Antarctic 

 regions into four quadrants : — 



No. 1 Victoria Quadrant from 90° E. to 180° W. 



„ 2 Ross Quadrant from 180° B. to 90° W. 



„ 3 Weddell Quadrant from 90° W. to 0° E. 



„ 4 Enderby Quadrant from 0° W. to 90° E. 

 the changes in the Ross Quadrant seem to expend their 

 principal energies far away from our continent, and I am 

 inclined to think that, from the selfish point of view, we 

 should direct our main attention to the more accessible 



