NO. 4 TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 24I 



variations in the solar emission of radiation itself, or in the solar 

 radiation which is received at the earth's surface. They have not 

 given proper weight to the consideration that a very great part of 

 this radiation is absorbed in the higher layers of the atmosphere and 

 that the distribution of temperature in the atmosphere of the earth 

 plays a great and perhaps the greatest part in determining the tem- 

 perature of the surface of the earth. 



But this distribution of temperature in the atmosphere is in a 

 high degree dependent upon the circulation of the atmosphere itself, 

 and this again is dependent on the thermal emission of radiation of 

 the sun, and perhaps also on other forms of energy radiation. 



Because he did not consider the role of the circulation and tem- 

 perature distribution in all the layers of the atmosphere an investi- 

 gator like Newcomb has, for instance, according to our thought, 

 fallen into an erroneous consideration of the problem. He maintains 

 (1908, p. 382) that since the prevalence of magnetic storms shows 

 that the " magnetic radiation " from the sun at maximum of sun 

 spots is greatest (and therefore at the time when the terrestrial 

 temperature is lowest) this gives ground for the assumption that the 

 thermal action of the " magnetic radiation " is too small to have any 

 direct influence on the observed meteorological phenomena. He 

 thinks that on this account the magnetic, electrical and radio-active 

 radiation of the sun can be completely left out of account. 



The conclusion to which Newcomb (1908, p. 387) comes concern- 

 ing the action of changes in the " solar constant " on the temperature 

 of the surface of the earth seems also inadmissible. He believes 

 the changes which are observed in high latitudes are not available 

 to determine anything in relation to the changes in the solar activity, 

 since such solar changes should first make themselves felt in the 

 tropics. Therefore in case changes of the temperature in higher 

 latitudes are greater than the changes in the tropics, they cannot be 

 caused by variations in the solar activity itself, because this would 

 obviously have the greatest effect in the vicinity of the equator. 



He seems here to forget that the variations in the solar activity and 

 in the " solar constant " (and also in the electrical radiation of the 

 sun) are primarily affecting the higher layers of the air, and thereby 

 altering the atmospheric circulation, not only in these higher layers, 

 but also in the lower parts of the atmosphere. This can alter the 

 temperatures of regions of higher latitude more than those of the 

 tropics where the conditions are so stable. 



