Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-22
POLAR TEMPERATURES
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

dew-drenched night follows. There are
hours of relief from the sun. Th4
earth has opportunity to cool before ths
blaze of dawn returns. But within tAA
Arctic Circle the beating down Of the
sun is incessant, with no interval for
cooling. Thus the heat becomes
cumula tive.
At ~ degrees Of latitude the sun
shines continuously from May 8 to
August 4-88 days-according to OBJ
servations of the United States Weather
Bureau Conversely. in the Winter
season the sun departs utterly and there
Is continuous night from November l8
to January $50 days-according to
observations which have been reported
from actual experience.
Absence Of Flora and Fauna.
The reports from Comdr. Byrd indi-
cate that at the South Pole there is no
life, either animal or vegetable. Al
some considerable distance northward
from the South Pole life is found. the
most noteworthy being displayed by the
unique pengulns. : But the actual South
Pole Is guarded by ranges Of towering
mountains, eternally frigid, where no
life can subsist. The Typographical as
poets are strongly reminiscent Of the
imaginary cold mountains Of the moon.
Indeed, all that Comdr. Byrd and his
associates have described reads more
like q tale Of Jules Verne or Edgar
Rice Burroughs than the report OF o
scientific exploring expedition on this
earth.
The northern polar regions, however,
are endowed in q more friendly man
ner Flowers of gorgeous hues and In
finite variety grow luxuriantly well up
toward the North Pole itself. Food
crops cannot be raised. as the season
is too short for vegetation to flower
and fruit, too. But there Is time for
blossoms to appear in great abundance.
Animal life also is abundant to q point
| far north.
Definite data have not yet been re-
ceived from the Byrd expedition re-
garding temperature readings, and, In
deed, meteorologists would not regard
such readings as Byrd may have taken
on his fight over the South Pole az
| very conclusive. They insist on q rec
ord Of readings covering q period Of
years before venturing an opinion or
setting down an official mean tempera-
| ture. However, members Of the Byrd
expedition have intimated that 1t Is
cold there.
Southern Attitudes Colder.
On the basis Of observations at points
some distance away from the Poles,
theoretical mean temperatures have
been worked out by scientists for the
Poles themselves. Germans do that
sort of thing. There is a popularity
about the Antarctic mountains, arising,
it Is believed, from wind action, whereby
the high elevation does not intensity
cold to as great degree as elevation in
the Temperate Zones. Thus the mini
mum mean Arctic temperature for the
North Pole in January is given as IL
degrees below zero. while the minimum
mean at the South Pole is 80 degrees
below for June. However, the Antarc-
tic Summer is colder the elevation pre-
venting the temperature from coming
down. The Midsummer mean at the
North Pole is degree below zero, while
at the South Pole 1t is degrees below
The lowest temperature ever of1cially
recorded in the neighborhood of the
South Pole is 668 degrees below zero,
noted by the Discovery in 1908, Lieut..
Barne, commanding.
Any glance at polar temperatures and
their variations shows that the Arctic
regions are much more habitable from
every point of view. The very place.
names in the Antarctic reflect It's for
bidding aspect. as, for example, Mount
Erebus and Mount Terror.