The Soviet Stat ions on Novaya Zemlya DONALD H '. CHAPMAN University .of New Hampshire, Durham Prof. Chapman was the official delegate of as important to us as that from Alaska and the American Meteorological Society to the northern Canada and Greenland; daily re- XVIIth International Geological Congress held ports are now being received here from the in last summer; this report of his more easterly section of the Siberian Arctic visit to some of the USSR polar meteorological coast, thanks to the stations opened there by stations should be of much interest to American the Soviets and to their cooperation in trans- meteorologists, because our continent has the mitting them more quickly and directly than same kind of meteorological}-geographical possible heretofore. The meteorological and relations to the : a large extent aerological observations from the Russian of low land in the north reaching to polar stations are summarized and published the 80 th parallel over which polar continental in the "10-day bulletins of the General Admin, air builds up and finds a chute to slip its of the No. Sea Routes" (Moscow) and in the chilly freight directly into lower latitudes; "Bulletins" and "Transactions of the Arctic we too have a chain of high-latitude meteoro- Institute" (Leningrad). A discussion of the logical stations to warn us of polar outbreaks. radiometeoro graph soundings made at some However, information from north of of these stations appeared in the October (Wrangell Is. region) seems to be almost BULLETIN AMER. MET. SOC., pp. 322 ff.—Editor.

HE XVIITH INTERNATIONAL Geo- on the west to the Kara logical Congress, held in Moscow Sea on the east. The length of the T and Leningrad, USSR, July 20- islands is more than 900 km; the 29, 1937, was preceded and followed maximum width, 105 km; and the by a number of field excursions to area, more than 81,000 sq. km. The various parts of the USSR. The southern island grades from Arctic writer was among a group of 25 tundra to Arctic desert from south to geologists who visited the Soviet north; while a large proportion of the Arctic on a 23-day trip to the double northern island is buried beneath an island of Novaya Zemlya. Ten land- which covers even the sum- ings were made on these islands, and mits of the mountains. The western the writer was able to visit three of the coast is bathed by the warm waters Polar Meteorological Stations which of the Atlantic current, but the east- have recently been established by the ern coast is ice-locked during most Soviet government. There are at of the year. least 20 such stations, but the number Vessels from Murmansk and Arch- varies from time to time, and they angelsk bound for Siberian and Pacific are well distributed from Murmansk ports pass through Matochkin Shar and Franz Joseph Land eastward to and are conducted across the Kara the Bering Sea coast (Anadyr Gulf). Sea by government ice-breakers. The Novaya Zemlya is the largest, but Polar Meteorological Observatory of not the most northerly, of the island Matochkin Shar, near the east end of groups in the Soviet Arctic. Its most the strait, is a strategic station in the northerly point, Cape Zhelanie, (Lat. chain of Polar stations which the 76° 54' N; Long. 68° 34'E) lies little Soviet government has recently es- more than 1400 km from the North tablished. Pole. On a map Novaya Zemlya ap- The Novaya Zemlya field party sailed pears as a long, narrow, sausage- from Archangelsk on the govern- shaped island, immediately north of ment-owned, 1800-ton ship, "Vologda,". the . In reality, how- A number of landings were first made ever, Novaya Zemlya is divided into on the western coast of the southern two large islands by Matochkin Shar, island. These included a stop at a narrow strait which extends from Belushie, present administrative cen-

Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/04/21 06:56 PM UTC ter of Novaya Zemlya. Lagernoye, the radio equipment, for this is the future capital, at the western end of best-equipped radio station on Novaya Matochkin Shar, was visited before Zemlya. ommunieation is established the Vologda made the passage through with Moscow four times a day, and the strait. After a stop near Tretya- more often when necessary. kov , the Vologda moved on to A subordinate group of buildings is drop anchor at the Polar observatory located 10 km farther east on a cape near the east end of the fiord. extending far out into the , The Matochkin Shar station was and here most of the first-class mete- founded here in 1923 as a geophysical orological instruments are installed. station for the measurement of earth The writer did not have an oppor- magnetism, and the meteorological tunity to visit this station. equipment was added in 1929. The While at anchor off Matochkin Shar observatory is located on the north station, the party experienced a touch shore of Matochkin Shar fiord about of the bora, a local wind which occa- ten miles from the Kara Sea. The sionally blows down the fiords of buildings stand on a ibleak and barren Novaya Zemlya with high velocity. terrace 60 feet above the sea. All For six hours or more, a pile of three are solidly built of wood, having been or four stationary [lenticular] clouds, originally constructed in the USSR, one above another, remained over then knocked down and shipped to the nearby mountain summits while the station where they were finally erected. wind reached gale force. The bora The largest of the buildings, about 75 is induced by the passage of low-pres- feet long and 20 feet wide, serves as sure areas along the coast, which living quarters for the 20 observers, drains the cold air off the interior ice- their wives, and six radio men. The capped highlands,1 members of the station staff are sent No promise had been made by the out by the government for periods of organizers of the Novaya Zemlya approximately two years, after which trip that the east coast would be they are transferred eleswhere, usu- visited, for in ordinary seasons ice ally to the mainland. In all the sta- presses hard against the Kara Sea tions visited, the meteorologists were coast. The past summer, however, young men, intelligent, and well was exceptional in the Eurasian trained. Private rooms are arranged Arctic. The ice pack was much farther along one side of a central corridor, north than usual; in fact the southern while the other half of the building is edge of the lay beyond the occupied by a kitchen, a dining room- northern shore of , lounge, and other common rooms. In 640 km north of the northern tip of the well furnished lounge is a good- Novaya Zemlya. Thus it happened sized library of books, journals, and that the Vologda was able to cruise maps. up the eastern coast of Novaya Zem- Near the center of the station lya and pass around Mys Zhelanie grounds are the usual instrument ( = Cape Desire) without difficulty. shelters containing thermographs, hy- Most interesting from a meteoro- grographs, wet-dry bulb hygrometer, logical standpoint was the landing etc. In a small, newly constructed made by the party at Cape Zhelanie, building, earth magnetism observa- where sixteen observers are stationed. tions are made regularly; while in The meteorological station which has still another building continuous earth- 1This is quite the same phenomenon which magnetism recorders are operated. commonly occurs in Greenland and Spitsber- gen ; it is a glacier wind on a large scale and One of the largest buildings houses of course is also a foehn-like wind.—Ed.

Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/04/21 06:56 PM UTC been erected here (Fig. 1, insert opp. at irregular intervals ; but during the p. 353) is about 1400 km from the recent polar flights, soundings were North Pole and has actively cooperated made daily.* They are equipped to on each of the recent attempts of the send back continuous records of tem- Soviet flyers to reach or cross the perature and pressure but not of Pole. As delegate of the American humidity. Soundings up to a height Meteorological Society, the writer was of 27 km have been made although given the rare permission to take a the average height reached is but 10- few outside photographs of this, one 12 km; and temperatures down to of the most northerly perennial mete- —50 °C have been recorded aloft. orological stations in the world. Kite-meteorograph ascents are also The buildings are located on low made at irregular intervals; this in- ground in the protection of the head- strument contains recording baro- land. Nearest the shore stands the graph, thermograph, hygrograph and main instrument building, containing eight-cup anemometer. But pilot bal- two comparatively large rooms for loons are regularly sent up, the hy- equipment and laboratory work (Fig. drogen being shipped from the main- 2). The building which serves as living land. quarters for the observers stands near After leaving the Cape Zhelanie the center of the group. It is similar in station, the Vologda rounded the cape construction and size to the building and proceeded southwest through the used for the same purpose at Matoch- Barents Sea along the western shore kin Shar. A third building houses of the northern island. At Russian the radio equipment, power for which Harbor, 200 km southwest of Cape is generated by a large, three-bladed Zhelanie, a stop was made to observe windmill. (Fig. 1). the ice cap which here reaches the The shelters containing the usual coast, so it was possible to visit the instruments, rain and snow guages, meteorological station located on this etc., are erected on a low rise near the bay. This is one of the smaller sta- living quarters (Fig. 3). Other build- tions and does not maintain a large ings are used for storing equipment force. After two further landings, and supplies and as living quarters the Vologda set out across Barents for the sledge dogs. Sea, reaching Murmansk on August As at Matochkin Shar, observations 19; and after an examination of the from Cape Zhelanie are sent by radio Soviet agricultural activity in this to Moscow four times daily. During rapidly expanding Arctic metropolis, the recent polar flights, however, such the party proceeded by rail to - observations were sent in as often as grad where the trip terminated. every hour. The station is supplied •Radio-meteorographs are also sent up irregularly from Murmansk (S. Polarny) with Soviet-designed (Moltchanov) Tikhaya Harbor, Dickson Id., and Archangelsk, radio-meteorographs, which ordinarily in the Arctic zone. (See Oct. Bulletin, p. 322 ff. ; and Oct, 1935, BULL. p. 234, and Nov. 1935, are used to sound the upper-air only p. 267.)—Ed. "When Prof. Otto Schmidt last May of since Columbus and Magellan, but set his plane-borne expedition down never achieved as a commercial pos- on 'the top of the world/ he was only sibility. Navigation in turn demanded placing the keystone in an arch of con- more exact knowledge of the coasts quest of the Arctic by Russia that has and waters, and the weather that been going on practically since the ruled over the region. So the scien- Revolution. tific authorities of the USSR brought "The first effort was in the direction about the establishment of some 60 of navigation of the vast Siberian Arctic stations along the coast and on coast—the dreamed offshore islands. At each of these

Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/04/21 06:56 PM UTC stations are investigators who study of great usefulness in the new pro- air and ocean conditions, a radio oper- gram of the study of the weather by ator and one or more airplanes. air-mass analysis. To the fruits of "The data are relayed to Moscow their labors will now be added data for compilation and interpretation from the Pole itself, which should help through the key radio station on meteorologists not only in Russia but Dickson Island. When ships come, all over the earth."—Sci SuppL, June with a giant icebreaker leading when 4, p. 14. necessary, the planes go up, spy out Three hundred and fifty-six replace- the open lanes or the weak places in ments for men stationed inside the the ice, and radio navigational infor- 's extensive Arctic terri- mation to the ships7 commanders. tories were on their way to take up Life at one of these stations is more or posts along Russia's 6,000-mile Arctic less like what it will be for the four coastline and on islands in the Arctic Russians who are undertaking a year's Sea, Tass, Soviet telegraphic agency, residence at the Pole. The houses, reported in early October. however, are very solidly built of tim- "New wintering parties for several ber and are more commodious than stations in the East, along the Sibe- the lightweight movable shelter. rian coast, have already reached their "At some of these threescore Arctic lonely observation camp sites. Fifty- stations vegetables are grown under nine stations for scientific observa- artificial light in fur-lined cellars, tions, including the drifting 'North with current generated by windmill Pole' camp, will be in operation during power overhead. No one pretends the coming winter. Many of the re- that they are economically produced, placements are recent graduates of but the workers must have vitamins courses in exploring given by the and some salads. These investigators Administration of the Northern Sea have been gathering meteorological Route."—Sci. Service. information that should prove to be

Faster-Ascending Pilot Balloons

ARNOLF P. REHBOCK Dewey and Almy Chemical Co., Cambridge, Mass. RACTICALLY ALL pilot-balloon runs 3. These balloons will require more for upper wind observations in hydrogen for inflation. P this country are made with 30- 4. Do we know exactly how fast gram balloons inflated to rise at 3 larger balloons will ascend? meters per second. This has been The first objection can be answered common practice for some 30 years. in the positive. The new DA REX Occasionally larger balloons and higher No. 100 Balloon* fulfills all require- rates of ascent were used, but it was ments for higher speeds. A detailed for special observations only. discussion of this new balloon will Why do we still cling to this low be given later. The second and rate of ascent while everything else is third objections deal with cost, and being speeded up? There are a few the increase in cost to be weighed reasons for it, but they are not con- against the advantages that re- vincing enough to stand in the way sult from faster ascensions. The of the adoption of faster climbing fourth objection is losing ground balloons. Here are some of the rea- rapidly. During the last year numer- sons: ous double theodolite observations have 1. Are balloons for higher speeds been made with DAREX No. 100 Bal- available? loons to determine the law governing 2. The faster rising balloons must their rate of rise.

be larger and, therefore, more •Made by Dewey and Almy Chemical Com- expensive. pany, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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