24 - § Newcomb—Some points in Climatology. 
thirty feet at the rate of 1° Fahr. per hour (day or week as the 
case might be). Thus only 1000 units of heat are stored up in 
a cubic meter of earth, while 5000 units per cubic meter are 
stored up in the ocean 
When stated in this form the question how hot the ocean 
Second.—* The air is probably heated more rapidly by contact 
with the ground than with the ocean; but, on the other hand, it 
is heated far more rapidly by radiation from the ocean than from 
the land. e aqueous vapor of the air is to a great extent 
diathermanous to radiation from the ground, while it absorbs the 
rays from water and thus becomes heated.” 
Here again the fallacy of the reasoning will be seen by giv-. 
ing the respective number of degrees, or any quantitative state- 
ment of the rate at which the air was heated by radiation from 
the ocean and from the land respectively. The fact I suppose 
to be that there is no rapidity of heating in question, but that 
the question is simply one of stationary temperature to be ulti- 
mately reached. I must repeat that I know not the slightest 
sauthority for the statement in the last sentence quoted and can 
