WEATHER CENTRAL FOR ANTARCTIC

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28792, 13 January 1959, Page 3

WEATHER CENTRAL FOR ANTARCTIC

Reports Sent To Harewood

An office occupied by the United States Navy weather service at Harewood has become the focal point for meteorological reports filed by eight nations occupying bases in Antarctica. Until last week the Little America station, established two years ago on floating ice in the Ross Sea, was the Antarctic continent’s “weather central.” Little America has now been closed because of the insecure nature of the site. The American Navy air facility on Ross Island in McMurdo Sound first collects Antarctic weather observations. The navy communications service at McMurdo Sound sends the information on, and it is then received in New Zealand by station ZKLF, Musick Point, and sent by landline to Harewood. “The reports are not being lost, although the Chileans are no longer submitting,” said the navy staff aerologist (Commander W. Lanterman) yesterday. Commander Lanterman said that other nations, including the Soviet Union, were continuing to supply weather Reports from their bases as usual. He added that later in the week he hoped to discuss the subject of Antarctic weather report collection with the assistant director of New Zealand meteorological services (Dr. R. G. Simmers). A permanent Antarctic weather central to replace Little America had been proposed and would be discussed at a meeting in Australia in March.