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

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…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPolar Research and Ecology · Science and Climate Studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
