The
London, Edinburgh, and Dublin
Philosophical Magazine
and
Journal of Science.
[Fifth Series.]
April 1896.
I. Introduction: Observations of Langley on Atmospherical Absorption.
A great deal has been written on the influence of the absorption of the atmosphere upon the climate. Tyndall[2] in particular has pointed out the enormous importance of this question. To him it was chiefly the diurnal and annual variations of the temperature that were lessened by this circumstance. Another side of the question, that has long attracted the attention of physicists, is this: Is the mean temperature of the ground in any way influenced by the presence of heat-absorbing gases in the atmosphere? Fourier[3] maintained that the atmosphere acts like the glass of a hot-house, because it lets through the light rays of the sun but retains the dark rays from the ground. This idea was elaborated by Pouillet[4]; and Langley was by some of his researches led to the view, that "the temperature of the earth under direct sunshine, even though our atmosphere were present as now, would probably fall to -200° C., if that atmosphere did not possess the quality of selective
