Antarctic Expedition Met “Tropical” Temperatures

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28823, 18 February 1959, Page 10

Antarctic Expedition Met “Tropical” Temperatures

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. "We went to a tropical place,” said the leader of the Victoria University Antarctic expedition (Dr. D. B. Bull) 'when he reached Wellington in H.M.N.Z.S. Endeavour from McMUrdo Sound.

Dr. Bull said his party ■, had (struck fantastically high temperatures for the" Antarctic in a seven-whek expedition into the strange dry valley systems of Victoria Land, west of McMurdo Sound. ,'

‘"nre, top temperature was 47deg and the minimum temperature 22deg Fahrenheit at our base.” said Dr. Bull.

"The winds blew up or down the valley where our base was set up. The wind from the plateau was warm and the wind from the sea was cold. It's all crazy,” said Dr. Bull. f

A veteran of the British North Greenland expedition some years ago, Dr. Bull said it appeared from his experience that there was little comparison between the climates Of the two extremes of the earth. However, the expedition had worked for seven weeks in a very special area of the Antarctic

where glaciers melted and lakes of fresh water sparkled in the sunshine.

The dry valley area was a meteorological puzzle to which the expedition would seek the answer this winter from data gathered in the field. According to all the known facts the wind from the 10,000 ft high polar plateau should have been cold and the wind from : the sea warm. '

. It was possible that the large area of ice-free rock in the dry valley area had something to do with the puzzling weather system they had experienced, he said. “We did not feel the cold until we returned to Scott Base,” said Dr. Bull. The base was at least 20 degrees colder than their tents in the rocky valley in Victoria Land.. Also in the Endeavour were members of the Geological Survey expedition under Dr. H. J. Harrington. Members of this group claimed two high peaks in Antarctica, Mount Erebus, Antarctica's only active volcano, and the extinct volcano, Mount Terror.