The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-30
SOME PARADOXES
ARE EXPLAINED
Why Earth Gets Cooler
When the Sun Is at
It's Hottest
EFFECT OF SUN SPOTS
Why We See the Suns Face
Before 1t Has Actually
Risen Above Horizon

WASHINGTON, June "a rain
storm dries the air; more goes up
than comes down: as the sun sets
the air grows warmer; the hotter
'ho sun grows the colder the earth
, becomes, the sun rises before II is
up and sets after II is down; these
are strong statements and sound like
"A fairy tale. but they are all true.
DR. W. J. Humphreys, quoted in the
annual report OF the Smithsonian
4 l-titution, which has inst been made
,tbllc, explains all Of them. They
are erfectly well known TO scientists.
if not to laymcn.
As everyone knows, Doctor
Humphreys declares, water eyapo-
rates anC is taken up in the air
as Napor This action is continuous
an over the earth and the utmos-
phcre would soon become very sog-
~ II It weren't dried out Rain is
the collection or condensation and
precipitation Of these moisture par
tiClcs, consequently, the more 10
rains the less water thire Is
left In the atmosphere. or the drier
the air becomes.
The second Of Doctor Humphreys
paradoXes seems fatty to contra
diet the old saying whatever goes
up must come down" However,
as the writer expresses II, vertical
circulation in the atmosphere is only
gravat!onal action, consisting in the
sinking of relatively cold and there
fore dense air, and rising of warm
and light air. Contracted air de-
sconds, expanded ascends. There
fore. mass for mass, the volume OF
ascending air is always larger than
that descending. In terms of mass.
also, Or. Humphreys says, descend
ing air is less than ascending, for
air while rising contains immense
quantities Of water in suspension,
which does not return to Garth with
that air, hut as rain, hail or snow.
The air that rises from the land
surface Is greater In mass by at
least 100000 tons per second the
measure OF world precipitation, than
that which dcscends, he says.
The third paradox is merely a
way OF stating that the waiincst
part of the day is not at moon
when the sun 10 at meridian or
overheai and she ld seemingly be
pouring down greater heat, but
several hours later in tho after
noon. That is because the surface
of the earth and the lower layers
Of oir Continue to ab4c - more hos:
from the upper layers for some time
after the Inter hav- bean receiv-
iIg the m2xmum amour. ot heat
.adia:;on rrnm he su-
sun Spots Hinder Heat
While 1t Is not yet UNIVERSAL
conceded that the next pu2zler. the
hotter the sun the colder the earth"
really is true, Doctor Humphreys
states, the evidence in favor of II
IS already very strong There are
several explanations offered. The
first is that increased radiation from
the sun causes earth's air currents
to flow more rapidly. bringing down
greater quantity of cooler air from
high latitude TO lower. He rejects
A this explanation. however.
y The temperature Of the sun itself
varies and sun spots are eruptiOns
caused by heat activity. II Is known,
he continues, that earth's tempera-
ture varies with spot activity: that
the more spots there are on the sun,
the cooler the earth temperature be-
comes and vice versa. Also, that the
SUMS corona is IN large measure only
so much dust, must interfere with
passage Of radiation through It.
Hence, hotter sun, more spots; more
spots denscr corona: dense corona.
less raditiOn received on tho earth
and warmer climate ensucs
Another explanation Is tho heat
absorbing quality OF ozone, which
, exists In greater quantity I'm the
upper air. lie concludes that the
denser corona stops massage OF some
per cent Of the ultra violet rays.
some Of whicsh acting on cold dry
oxygen the upcr strata form ozone.
I'm times ON maximum spots there
must, then, he less ozone. But ozone
ahsorbs a great amount Of earth ra-
diatiun, therefore II the earth should
be receiving an increased amount OF
heat at this time IL might neverthe-
less grow colder because OF the CO.
incident depletion Of the h.eat-con-
serving ozone blanket IT Is also
said that cirrus cloud or cirrus haze
is more generally prevalent in
e0rths atmosphere during spot
activity, and this blanket Of cloud
shuts out some Of the solar radla-
tiou.
Perfection of Light Rays.
4 The reverse paradox then, which
is also found to be true. may be ac-
counted for in the same way. Suns
atmosphere is clearer during spot
minimum and although there may
actually be less heat coming from
the sun, a larger percentage is al
lowed to reach the earth through
the thinner blankets.
The paradox OF the sun rising be-
fore It is actually up and setting
after II actually has gone down, is
explained by the sending OF light
waves when passing through the
air stick, when placed I'm clear
water seems to bend; "A light ray
whom sent through the air does
actually bend, The rays from the
rising sun are bent when they strike
the air envelope. This angle varies
according 10 well-known laws, but
on the average, the light from the
sun is bent "a y seconds OF degree,
so that the upper limb of the sun
when first seen is actually half a
degree below the horizon. AS the
angular diameter Of either sun.
poon or star is less than this frac-
ton II follows that when the sky
is sufficiently clear the whole Of
'either may he seen before even its
topmost portion Is geometrically
above the horizon,
While the reverse Is not absolutely
correct, automatically, II is added,
when sun, star or moon set, because
OF the slight modification of refrac-
ton due to earth, rotation, noverthe-
less the difference is exceedingly