The katabatic winds of Cape Denison and Port Martin

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Parish, Thomas R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1981
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; Dumont d'Urville; Dumont-d'Urville; Terre Adélie; Terre-Adélie; George V Land; Denison; Cape Denison; Port Martin; Port-Martin; Antarc*; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400003934; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400003934

The Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1912–14, led by Douglas Mawson, encountered incredibly strong, persistent katabatic winds at Cape Denison and along the coastal stretches of Terre Adélie and George V land (Fig 1). The mean wind speed at Cape Denison was 19.3 ms −1 [43.2 mph] which far surpassed all previous surface wind records. The French expedition of 1950–52 to Port Martin, some 60 km west of Cape Denison, provided confirmation of extraordinary windiness of the region. ordinary windiness of the region. According to Mather and Miller (1967), the winds at coastal Terre Adélie and George V Land are about 70 per cent greater than those recorded at stations similarly located at the foot of the steep ice escarpment. Table 1 lists the mean monthly resultant winds at Cape Denison and Port Martin, along with four other coastal stations known to be influenced by katabatic winds. Included in the table is the record of Dumont d'Urville, situated along the same coastal stretch as Cape Denison and Port Martin. Despite its location on an island 5 km from the base of the ice slopes, Dumont d'Urville frequently experiences strong katabatic winds comparable to most stations located at the base of the steep coastal ice slope. Its wind record reflects the strong katabatic component along Terre Adelie and George V Land.