On the Annual Temperature Range over the Southern Oceans

M /[AURY was well aware of unequal strength of westerly circulations in Northern and Southern Hemispheres and correctly attributed it to the unequal distribution of land and water over two hemispheres.' This difference becomes useful in a major task of climatology-to deduce climate of a hemisphere entirely covered by water (ice in Polar Regions). Since four-fifths of Southern Hemisphere is ocean, natural way to approach ideal value of climatic elements is to study climates over southern oceans. After ideal value is known, objectives, to paraphrase Schumann,2 would be to explain it in terms of radiation from sun and physical properties of air and water, and to interpret differences between actual and ideal values with respect to distribution of land and sea. In a hemisphere with a homogeneous surface of land ideal value would depend on only two variables: latitude and time of year. In a hemisphere with a complete water surface three phases of water introduce further variables because of their influence on distribution of energy in atmosphere and in sea. For example, a large part of incoming solar radiation is intercepted by clouds and directly reflected back into space, and another part is absorbed by water vapor and clouds. The surface of ocean gives up great amounts of heat through evaporation of water. This heat is transported in latent form by atmosphere and is released through con-