The Never Ending Gale: its Role in Captain Robert F. Scott and his Companions' Deaths

TL;DR

This paper critically examines Captain Scott's reported nine-day gale in Antarctica, using wind analysis to show that the event was inaccurately recorded and did not occur, impacting interpretations of the explorers' deaths.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that Captain Scott's meteorological records of the gale and cold snap were highly inaccurate, challenging historical accounts of the expedition's hardships.

Findings

Captain Scott's gale lasted less than reported

Wind events at Ross Island differ from Scott's records

The deaths were due to choices, not chance

Abstract

Polar historians and enthusiasts are aware that toward the end of March 1912, Captain Robert F. Scott reported in his journal a meteorological event, which was extraordinary as far as its length and strength was concerned. This event was the gale which according to Captain Scott, lasted nine/ten days. Were the laws of physics suspended at the end of March 1912 in the Antarctic? I have shown that the near surface winds in the Antarctic are self-organized critically and that the winds over the continent form an ergodic system. I have presented an analysis of wind events in the proximity of Captain Scott's camp and at Ross Island. By comparing wind events at these locations, and performing an analysis of a gale's wind duration and strength at One Ton Dep\^ot, I concluded that Captain Scott's wind record was highly inaccurate. I concluded that the nine/ten day gale described by Captain Scott, that lasted from March 21 to 29, did not take place. This result combined with my previous analysis of Captain Scott's temperature record, shows that two black swan meteorological events: February 27-March 19, 1912 - Extreme Cold Snap and March 21-29, 1912 - Never Ending Gale reported by Captain Scott, did not take place. Therefore, I conclude that the deaths of Scott, Wilson and Bowers were a matter of choice rather than chance.