The north polar chart of annual range of temperature shows a maximum range of about 120° in Siberia; of 80° in North America; of 75.6° at the North Pole, and of 72° in Greenland. The North Pole obviously has a continental climate. The minimum ranges are on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The mean annual isanomalies show that the interior of Greenland has a negative anomaly in all months. The Norwegian sea area is 45° too warm in January and February. Siberia has +10.8° in summer, and -45° in January. Between Bering Strait and the pole there is a negative anomaly in all months. The influence of the Gulf Stream drift is clearly seen on the chart, as it is also on that of mean annual ranges.
For the North Pole Mohn gives the following results, obtained by graphic methods:--
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+ | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May. | June. | +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+ | -41.8° | -41.8° | -31.0° | -18.4° | 8.6° | 28.4° | +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+ | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Year. | +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+ | 30.2° | 26.6° | 8.6° | -11.2° | -27.4° | -36.4° | -8.9° | +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+-------+
It appears that the region about the North Pole is the coldest place in the northern hemisphere for the mean of the year, and that the interior ice desert of Greenland, together with the inner polar area, are together the coldest parts of the northern hemisphere in July. In January, however, Verkhoyansk, in north-eastern Siberia, just within the Arctic circle, has a mean temperature of about -60°, while the inner polar area and the northern interior of Greenland have only -40°. Thus far no minima as low as those of north-eastern Siberia have been recorded in the Arctic.
For the Antarctic our knowledge is still very fragmentary, and relates chiefly to the summer months. Hann has determined the mean temperatures of the higher southern latitudes as follows:--[6]
_Mean Temperatures of High Southern Latitudes._
S. Lat. 50° 60° 70° 80° Mean Annual 41.9 28.4 11.3 -3.6 January 46.9 37.8 30.6 20.3 July 37.2 18.3 -8.0 -24.7