Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/200

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196
POLAR EXPLORATION

liminary Chart, showing the Track of the "Antarctic" in Antarctica, by Dr. N. Otto G. Nordenskjold and Dr. John Gunnar Andersson: London, 1905). The depth also is quite significant of land in these regions, for the Scotia obtained 1,746 fathoms fifteen miles off Coronation Island, and 2,370 fathoms only sixty miles off Coats Land. Mr. Mossman has pointed out that at Scotia Bay, South Orkneys, "the warmest winds are N.W. and N., and the coldest S. and S.E., there being a difference of 21.7° between the warmest and coldest directions. It is of interest to note the great difference between the temperature of west and south-west winds. On the mean of the seven months the south-west is 16.5° colder than the west, while in June the difference was as much as 22.2° F.

"From these observations it appears probable that there is a mass of land, the northern extremity of which is in lat. 65° S., long. 44° W., both Morrell and Ross having referred to an 'appearance of land' in this region. The circumstance that 'Föhn' winds blow from the west doubtless partly accounts for their relatively high temperature; but there are other reasons, notably the comparatively high barometric pressure experienced with south-west winds, which indicate a local anticyclone in winter such as would form over a land surface."