CHAPTER V 



THE OCEAN 



AT every stage of our inquiry we have seen 

 that the unique properties of water and 

 carbonic acid contribute vitally important 

 characteristics to the ocean. Such conclusions 

 accord with the ordinary experiences of life, 

 and they gain in significance from the un- 

 doubted fact that organic beings first existed, 

 and for a very long time existed only in the 

 waters. On this account it will be well to pause 

 before attacking the problems of organic 

 chemistry, and, in somewhat greater detail, 

 to examine the ocean in its relation to the 

 inhabitants of the globe. Thus we shall be 

 able more clearly to perceive the manner in 

 which, in one most important instance, the 

 properties of water and carbonic acid operate 

 to fit the world for life. 



THE REGULATION OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL 

 CONDITIONS 



The most Striking of all the ocean's qualities 

 is its constancy. No doubt since its origin 



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