WATER 



95 



whenever the ocean comes in contact with 

 climates of very low temperature it tends to 

 moderate them, the more effectively the 

 greater the disparity between the temperature 

 of the air and that of the water, and here 

 latent heat is quite as important a factor, 

 though indirectly, as specific heat. 



It remains to point out that the latent heat 

 of melting of water is nearly the greatest 

 which has yet been discovered, being ex- 

 ceeded, in fact, by that of ammonia alone. 



Table of Latent Heats of Melting 



