154 THE FITNESS OF THE ENVIRONMENT 



who finds very great constancy, the extreme 

 variations (with the exception of the Black 

 Sea) being 0.000000011 N to 0.0000000045 N. 

 Allowing for the change of the ionization 

 constant of water with the temperature, and 

 the fact that in such systems the hydrogen 

 ionization is nearly independent of the tem- 

 perature, these values roughly correspond to 

 hydroxyl ion concentrations 0.000002 N and 

 0.000005 N respectively at the lower temper- 

 atures and slightly higher values at the higher 

 temperatures of sea water. This is a sufficient 

 excess of hydroxyl ions properly to be termed 

 faint alkalinity, though it amounts to but 

 about 0.00005 gram per liter, or 0.000005 per 

 cent. It is in part due to the fact that the 

 quantity of carbonic acid in the air is now 

 very small, while in the ocean the concentra- 

 tion of bicarbonates is great. Indeed, the 

 ocean has unquestionably grown alkaline; 



justifie de la placer dans la meme categorie que les autres- 

 liquides physiologiques. Des determinations exposes dans 

 ce qui precede il ressort que, de meme que ces liquides, l'eau 

 de mer est douee d'une grande capacite de regler sa concentra- 

 tion en ions hydrogene, bien que cette capacite soit moins 

 prononcee que celle constatee par example dans le sang." 

 — S. Palitzsch, "Sur le mesurage et la grandeur de la concen- 

 tration en ions hydrogene de l'eau salee," Comptes-rendus 

 des travaux du Laboratoire de Carlsberg, lOme Volume, 

 Ire Livraison, 1911, p. 93. 



