Page:Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology.djvu/482

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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA, AND ITS METEOROLOGY.

in another; and those between 140° E. and 80° W. in another, with the following results:—(They are all on the polar side of lat. 40° S.)

Mean Height of the Barometer, as observed between

The parallels of The Meridians of
20° W. & 140° E. 140° E. & 80° W. Off Cape Horn. Mean of all.
No. of Observations Barometer Inches. No. of Observations Barometer Inches. No. of Observations Barometer Inches. No. of Observations Barometer Inches.
40° S. and 43° S. 1115 29.90 210 29.84 378 29.86 1703 29.88
43 ,, 45 738 .80 155 .73 237 .75 1130 .78
45 ,, 48 611 .58 226 .71 337 .68 1174 .63
48 ,, 50 175 .53 247 .56 250 .61 672 .62
50 ,, 53 108 .35 198 .45 359 .56 665 .48
53 ,, 55 6 .17 92 .35 377 .37 475 .36
S. of 55° 7 .27 64 .42 1055 .28 1126 .29

857. Discussion of observations.—The instruments used for these observations were for the most part the old-fashioned marine barometer, to which no corrections have been applied. The discrepancies of this table evidently arise from the lack of number sufficient to mask these sources of error, or from the influence of the land, and not from any difference as to the mean height of the barometer along the same parallels at sea in any one of the three divisions. In this discussion, the observations of each group and every band were arranged according to the month. These monthly tables are not repeated here, but they do not indicate any decided change in the barometric pressure in high southern latitudes according to the season. The barometer there stands low the year round.

858. Barometric curve at sea.—Resorting to the graphic method and using the table (above) for the purpose, the barometric curve of the diagram (Plate XVI.) has been projected from pole to pole.

859. Ditto over the land.—Professor Schouw has given us the mean height of the barometer for 32 places on the land between the parallels of 33° S. and 75° 30' N. They afford materials for the annexed diagram, and show the exceptional character of the meteorological influences which rule on shore when com-