Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-05
OCEAN OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
Its Variations and Tides as It Rotates With
 the Earth.

the Earth.
 We are dwellers 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 a 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 its relationship to the sun, it is impos- siblc that an equal diffusion of solar heat should strike and penetrate this atmos- phcric envelope, as the equatorial zone gets the vertical rays tho temperate zone receives rays that are moro 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 the sum- receive the mini mum of light and heat.
 Now, what is tho consequence? Certain areas or belts arc intensely heated and ex- banded. Other belts arc only partially heated, and still other regions are almost bercft of heat, and this very mobile ocean by law of nature seeks to cqualize itself, and system of currents interchanging and intercommingling is set in motion that are In action seemingly ever and for
 
 factor is operative and exerts a singularly modifying influence on this procedure.
 This is tho earth's diurnal motion, its daily turning on it's axis, whereby this very limpid ocean is also turned and is al- ternately heated and cooled as it is pre- sented to the sunward side or the side away from the sun. This action relieves the currents of the greater part of their 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 f1ercely 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 the top, which is theo- retically about 45 miles, and here is an other peculiarity: At height of only from four to six miles 1t is necessarily cold, and higher up the air has moro than polar temperature. But we get no correct impression of the upper air phe nomena while we are down at the bottom of this sea. There are thousands of inn pedments that temporarily retard and stop the currents and which must conse- qucntly go in fits and spurts regardless of the more even and regular flow above. If we could be at the bottom, among the rocks and holes of a 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 tho 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 are far from being fully conversant with the varied phenomena on and near the surface of this atmospheric sea. We do not understand tho 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 arc as they leave the solar surfacce, it is evident that they undergo transposition or correlation as they enter and pierce 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 DiSDatch