Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-09-27
OCEAN OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
Its Variations and Tides as II Rotates With
the Earth.

the Earth.
We are dwellers at the bottom of n
sort of sea This sea bottom, which is
the surface of the earth, may vary as
to altitude, being diversified with
plains, valleys, plateaus and noun
tains, but in this only slightly varying |
range of few miles is all human life |
restricted, while the wonderful and
mighty atmospheric ocean rolls over
all As our globe is swung in space in
its relationship to the sun, it is impos'
sible that an equal diffusion of solar
heat should strike and penetrate this
atmospheric envelope, as the equa-
torial zone gets the vertical rays,
the temperate zone receives rays
that are more slanting and consequent
" less heat, while the frigid zones,
made such by reason of the polar points
or regions most remote from the direct
rays of the sun, receive the minimum
of light and heat.
Now, what is the consequence? Ger
tain areas or belts are intensely heated
and expanded, 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 equalizc itself, and system of cur
rents interchanging and intercom-
mingling is set in motion that are in
action seemingly ever and forever. But
in the meantime 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 limped ocean is also turned and is
alternately heated and cooled as it is
presented TO the sunward side or the
side away from the sun. This action
relieves the currents of the greater
part of the 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 can not
conceive of the incessant hurricanes
that would then prevail as the fiercely
heated side of its frigid antipode ex'
changed atmospheric compliments.
We are not to suppose that this at
mospheric sea is heated even over the
which is theoretically about forty-fivt
miles, and here is another popularity
,, At a height of only from four to sly
! miles it is necessarily cold, and higher
up the air has more than polar tenn
perature. But we get no correct i'm
| .>,,oc.,o, ~ ba ,,nnar II. ,ohaunman.
while we are down at the bottom o
this sea. There are thousands of i'm
y pediments that temporarily retard ant
: stop the currents, and which mus
consequently go in fits and squirt
. regardless of the more even an
regular flow above. If we coul
be at the bottom, among tn
u rocks and holes of deep, swift-fiow
. ing river, we should get no correc
;, idea from the surrounding swirls of tn
4 smooth and uniform flow on its surface
u Into the ocean of our atmosphere ris
. vapors and form clouds which undo
certain conditions, intercept and retar
- the electric currents, which then a
~ cumulate and again seek equilibrium
in explosive action, causing the phi
a. nomenon known as lightning and fo
0, lowed by peals of thunder. But we al
IL far from being fully conversant wit
L the varied phenomena on ar
near the surface of this atm
u, Sphere sea. We do not unde
"a stand the situation where the illimi
'e able ether stops to give way to cor
vi mencing but as yet exceedingly ra
m atmosphere, if indeed the atmosphe
ne is not the ether condensed as it il
al pinges on the globe.
Whatever the solar carnations tn
M come to us, whatever they are as tn
g leave the solar surface, it is evide
10 that they undergo transpositinn OF &C
IL relation as they enter and pierce t
ethereal space, and another transit
ia nation takes place when they penetra
ne our atmosphere and develop into VIII
* we call heat and light as they impin
ne on the earth. -Pittsburgh Dispatch.