522 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1883. 



IV. — CONSTITUTION AND^ PROPERTIES OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 



Prof. 0. A. Vogler, of Bonn, reviews the question of the variations 

 of the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. His own views differ so 

 radically from Morley, aud are so important iu connection with many 

 climatological questions, especially the formula of barometric hypsome- 

 try, that further investigations and observations are necessary; the 

 question must still be considered as undecided as to whether the varia- 

 tions of oxygen may not explain the formation of barometric maxima, 

 the cooling of the lower strata, and the variations in the coefficient of the 

 hypsometric formula, and it is too early as yet to hope for a decision. 

 {Z. 0. G. M., xvn, p. 175.) 



Hill has used the observations of Hennessey, Cole, and Hodgkinson 

 in India towards answering the question what gaseous constituent of 

 the atmosphere it is that absorbs the solar heat. He concludes to at. 

 tribute this to the aqueous vapor. (Z. 0. G. M., xvn, 334.) 



Hill has attempted to deduce the relative absorption of heat by 

 aqueous vapor and by dry air from observations in India; he concludes 

 tlie former to be 764 times greater than the latter, but the observations 

 appear to us scarcely sufficient to establish this result. (Z. 0. G. M., 

 xvn, p. 48.) 



Hennessey has published in full the actinic observations of October 

 and November, 1879, from which the above results are deduced by Hill. 

 Tbe sky was generally covered with thin haze or dust, which must have 

 greatly affected the results. (Z. 0. G M., xviii, p. 80.) 



H. Miintz and E. Aubin during a visit to the summit of the Pic du 

 Midi have investigated the quantity of nitric acid contained iu the 

 water and snow at that height. Both the methods of Boussingault aud 

 Schlosiug were employed. These observations determine the location 

 in the atmosphere where nitric acid is formed, and that, in accordance 

 with the views of Boussingault, the nitrate of ammonia does not exist 

 in the atmosphere in a gaseous condition, for if it did it would be dis- 

 tributed uniformly in the atmosphere precisely as are its components, 

 nitric acid and ammonia. {Z. 0. G. M., xviii, p. 71.) 



V. — SOLAR RADIATION; TERRESTRIAL TEMPERATURE. 



Pernter gives an exhaustive summary of the record of the Campbell- 

 Stokes sunshine records at Vienna for 1881. The total number of hours 

 of full sunshine was 1G76.3, or 37 per cent, of the 4472 that was possible 

 for absolutely clear weather. During the winter the greatest duration 

 occurred at noon, but during the summer at 11 A. m. and 2 p. m., simi- 

 larly as in 1880, owing to the cloudiness at 1 P. M. During the summer 

 the total sunshine in the morning hours exceeds that of the afternoon, 

 but during the winter the reverse takes place; this is contrary to the 

 experience of 1880. Among the totals for each month July has the 

 maximum, 290.5 hours, or 00 per cent, of all that was possible, and Oc- 





