421 



augmented, carbonic acid will be liberated or absorbed to an 

 extent which may be calculated from my determinations^). 



I 



I 



The differences given in the third column are expressed 

 in terms of the present quantity of carbonic acid in the atmo- 

 sphere and mean that if the percentage of carbonic acid in the 

 atmosphere should sink, by the action of some C02-absorbing 

 agent, from 0.03 to 0.02, this would not only involve the dis- 

 appearance of Vs of our present OOo -atmosphere but the 

 liberation from the ocean an subsequent disappearance of about 

 9 times as much. If, on the other hand, the production of 

 carbonic acid should be augmented, the quantity of carbonic 

 acid in the atmosphere must rise, but an increase from 0.03 

 to 0.04 "/o can only be attained by a surplus production of 

 Va -j- 2 times the present amount of atmospheric carbonic acid. 



The question here arises: Will not the absorption (or 

 liberation) of carbonic acid by the sea be too slow a process 

 really to exercise this influence? If the absorption of the 

 quantity mentioned would take millions of years the regulating 

 influence of the ocean, though doubtless existing, would not 

 make itself very much felt. 



By means of Bohrs determinations of invasion- and evasion- 

 constants for water and solutions of chloride of sodium, quoted 

 and explained in the preceding paper (p. 383), 1 shall be able to 

 give an approximate answer to this problem of the velocity of 

 absorption or liberation. If we take the coefficient of invasion 



') Provisionally 1 assume for the sake of argument that the mean tempe- 

 rature of the earth is invariably 15°. 



