The herald., 1894-08-17
OCEAN OF TIE ATMOSPHERE.
Its Variations and Tides as It Rotates VIII
the Earth.

the Earth.
We are dweliers at tho bottom Of a sort
Of sea. This sea bottom, which is the sur
face of the earth, may vary as to altitude,
being diversified with plains, valleys, pla-
teaus and mountains, but in this only
slightly varying range of q few miles is
all human life restricted, while the wonder
full and mighty atmospheric ocean rolls
over ALL AS our globe is swung in space
in it's relationship to the sun, it is impos-
sible that an equal diffusion Of solar heat
should strike and penetrate this atmos-
pheric envelope, as the equatorial zone
gets the vertical rays, the temperate zone
receives rays that are more slanting and
consequently less heat, while the frigid
zones made such by reason of the polar
points or regions most remote from the di-
rect rays of tho sun, receive the mini
mum of light and heat.
Now, what is the consequence? Certain
areas or belts are intensely heated and ex-
panded. Other belts are only partially
heated and still other regions are almost
bereft of heat, and this very mobile ocean
by law of nature seeks TO equalize itself,
and system of currents interchanging
and intercommingling is set in motion
ever. But in the meantime a peculiar
factor is operative and exerts singularly
modifying influence on this procedure.
This is the earth's diurnal motion, its
daily turning on its axis, whereby this
very limpid ocean is also turned and is al.
ternately heated and cooled as it is pre-.
sented to tho sunward side or the side
away from the sun. This action relieves
ha c1,rroptc of ba <r,oator r>or% of thoiy
labor, and were it possible for the earth to
turn with pole to the sun and the one
side constantly to the solar heat, while the
other side was constantly away from it,
we cannot conceive of the incessant hurri-
canes that would then prevail as the
fierccly heated side and its frigid antipode
exchanged atmospheric compliments.
We are not to suppose that this atmos-
pheric sea is heated even over the equator
from the bottom to tho top, which is theo-
retically about As miles, and here is an
other popularity: At height of only
from four to six miles it is necessarily
cold, and higher up the air has more
than polar temperature. But we get nc
correct impression of the upper air phe-
nomena while we are down at the bottom
of this sea. There are thousands Of i'm
pSQlulSub5 OAtu tciDHoraFlly f6UaIQ duu
stop the currents and which must conse-
quently go in fits and spurts regardless of
the more even and regular flow above. II
we could be at the bottom, among the
rocks and holes of deep, swift flowing
river, we should get no correct idea from
the surrounding swirls of the smooth and
uniform flow ON its surface Into the
ocean of our atmosphere rise vapors and
form clouds which under certain condi-
tions intercept and retard the electric cur
rents, Which then accumulate and again
seek equilibrium in explosive action, caus-
ing the phenomenon known as lightning
and followed by peals of thunder But
we arc far from being fully conversant
with the varied phenomena on and near
the surface Of this atmospheric sea. We
do not understand the situation where the
illimitable ether stops to give way to a
commencing but as yet exceedingly rare
atmosphere, if indeed the atmosphere is
not the ether condensed as it impinges on
the globe.
Whatever the solar emanations that
come to us, whatever they are as they
leave the solar surface, it is evident that
they undergo transposition or correlation
as they enter and pierco the ethereal space,
and another Transformation takes place
when they penetrate our atmosphere and
develop into what we call heat and light
as they impinge on the earth. .--,Pittsburg
Disuatch.