Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-22

The triumphant flight Of Lieut..
Comdr. Richard Byrd over the South
Pole has set the world talking anew
about the polar regions and has brought
forth the usual misconceptions concern
ing the climatic conditions encountered
at the top and bottom of the earth
Most Of the population Of the world
lives on the Northern Hemisphere, and
so 1T is no more than second nature
that the word north" should seem to
be almost synonymous with cold" It
requires an instant'S thought to realize
that by every meteorological rule it is
theoretically just as cold at the South
Pole as at the North Pole, both being
equidistant from the Equator. AS a mat
ter of fact it is considerably colder at
the South Pole. as the Antarctic con-
tinent is elevated. Comdr. Byrds latest
reports OF his flight over the South Pole
snow that the mountains are 10000 to
10000 feet high. Even in the Temper
ate Zones, mountains of that elevation
are often snow-clad in the Summer
time. Obviously, then, 1t Is much colder
at the South Pole.
There are mountains in the North,
too. On Greenland the ranges rise to a
measured height of 5000 feet, but at
considerable distance south Of the North
Pole. The Pole itself is situated in the
midst Of a sea which, obviously, is at
sea level, and normally warmer than
the elevated Greenland's icy mountains
to the southwark.
But, aside from this difference of
temperature at the North and South
Poles, the necessary effort must be made
to keep in mind the wide variation of
temperature in Summer and Winter
within the polar regions, If one is to
keep intelligently abreast of the prog
ress OF polar explorations. The very
names Arctic Circle and Antarctic Cir
Gle have frigid ring about them which
suggests glaciers. icebergs, illimitable
snow and all that goes with the frozen
regions. The idea Of Summer within
these icebound circles is at first dificult
to assimilate.
Warm Days I'm the Arctic.
Many meteorological observations
nave been made by representatives of
different countries. On our own terri
tory careful records have been kept and
ofhcially reported which show how wide
variation Of temperature exists in
the Far North.
Point Barrow Is situated at the north
ernmost point Of Alaska, we'll within the
Arctic Circle. Oficial figures show a
low record Winter temperature of SIS
degrees below zero and a Summer tenn
perature Of rs degrees. Point Barrow is
on the coast, where it Is warmer in
Winter. Further inland Is Shungnak,
where 81 degrees below zero has been
registered in the Winter and 90 degrees
in the Summer. Candle, in the same
general region, shows a mark of so
below zero for the Winter and IS for
the Summer. When the thermometer
gets up around IS to 90 degrees In
Washington, New Orleans, New York
Chicago or any other American city
people stop each other and ask, els It
hot enough for you?"-a purely rhetori-
cal question and one which has led to
blows from people too hot and bothered
to control their tempers.
The reason for this extreme heat
within the Arctic Circle is not difficult
to understand. In the Summer season
the sun swerves north and circles about
the upper portion of the earth, casting
its rays down steadily for weeks on end
Far enough north there is a season dur
ing which the sun never sets. Further
south there may be an hour, two hours
three hours Of night. In the Temperate
Zone far to the southwark the sur
goes down at o'clock or so and the