The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-09-01
A SCIENTIFIC VIEW OF 1T.

New York Herald: The abnormal
heat of the summer coming on the heels
of the severe winter Of 1881 presents an
important problem which the English
scientist, Mr.. Maltieu Williams, AT
tempts 10 solve. AS an investigator OF
solar phenomena he turns To the suns
present condition Of apparent excessive
energy for an explanation of lone Of the
coolest of known winters followed by
July heat OF almost unparalleled in
iensity." That terrestrial climate, with
all its variations. is an effect of solar
radiation is clear, and hence the violent
commissions and vigorous STRINGS of
the solar furnace, now evinced by solar
spots and prominences, he argues, may
be expected 10 affect Our climate as
we'll as our magnetic needles.
There seems TO be but little room to
doubt that both Mr.. Williams
premises and conclusion are correct.
The cold period Of 1880 was preceded
by an unusual period of solar quiescence,
but in May lnsl immense spots, one OF
which was reported by the government
astronomer of New South Wales as
eighty thousand miles long and thirty
Thousand broad, were observed passing
over the suns surfacc. The fact that we
are now in the computed period Oi in.
creasing disturbance and intensity Of
the great orb, taken in connection with
The almost unprecedented IhermOmetric
extremes noted in various portions OF
the temperate zone since May last, fur
Their corroborates the view of many as
tronomers that the earth is now receiv-
ing greater quantities Of solar heat than
usual.
Mr.. Williams plausibly shows that
one effect of this excessive solar radia-
ton would be an ascent of the warmer air
in the tropics in augmented quantity
and its northward flow as an upper cur
rent into the ATTITUDES, with, Of course,
a counter flow of the polar air south
ward. This movement, he says, began
last winter, when in the Engadine and
other regions of the high Alps and on
the Puy de Dome, about five thousand
feet above sea level, the weather was
phenomenally warm while Europe and
America were getting an extra share of
the return polar currents. aft ! am
right" he concludes, ''ihe heat thus car
ried northward by the upper atmosphere
currents has been doing its work upon
the accumulations of Arctic ice, and
our share OF the solar beneficence is
but temporarily delayed"
The force of this reasoning. so far as
1t touches the suns recent power within
in the Arctic circle, is strengthened by
the latest news of the openness of the
season north of Behring Strait, and it
lends new interest and hope to the jean
nette search expeditions. The influence
of the suns increased radiation of heat
will be felt, however, in the Arctic Ocean,
not only By means of the warm aerial
currents descending upon and dissolv-
ing its frozen masses, but also in the
warm ocean currents bearing the heat
they absorbed in the lower latitudes to
loosen and liquify its ice foes. We
may for these reasons hope that the polar
basin this season will be found less OBJ
strucled by ice than in an average year,
and that the Jeanette, with the rest of
the Arctic feet, will be able TO accomplish
more than is possible in any ordinary
season.