CARBON DIOXIDE OF THE OCEAN 599 
water are nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The 
nitrogen, argon, and oxygen are absorbed into the ocean directly 
from the air. Since the ocean is very generally agitated into 
waves, we may suppose that the gases dissolved in the outer 
portion of the surface water are in direct equilibrium with those 
of the air. The surface waters are being saturated with gas at 
temperatures varying with the daily and seasonal changes. 
Therefore, if there is no depletion or increase of these gases 
due to chemical or organic agencies we may assume roughly 
that the ocean, on the average, contains these gases in a propor- 
tion which may be calculated from the coefficients of absorption 
for the average temperature of the surface of the sea, which we 
assume to be 15° C. Therefore, to find the average amount of 
nitrogen, argon, and oxygen dissolved in the ocean we must 
determine their respective coefficients of absorption for sea 
water. From the remarks on the effect of salts on the solution 
of gases we should expect that the salt water would dissolve a 
little less of the above-mentioned gases than fresh water, because 
(1) salts in solution decrease the solubility of gases, and (2) 
because none of the gases react chemically with the ocean salts. 
The following table, which is taken from a larger table of 
Dittmar, shows that these theoretical conclusions are correct: 
* AIR DISSOLVED PER LITER.! 
Pure water Sea water 
= 5° - - - - Se meets 272, 
oo - - - . 29.54 DOohO 
5° - - - - - 26.09 21.08 
Io° - - - - - BRB 18.92 
15° - - - - =, 21-16 7.17, 
20° - - - - ; 19.33 15.72 
Die - - - - - 17.80 14.44 
307% == : = ; = 16.49 13.44 
abe ; 5 : = else 12.53 
AO oie = ; : : 14.37 
45° 5 : 5 ; = 13+50 
50° - - - - 12578 
toc. cits, pp. 172 and 175. 
