Abstract
AN explanation of the existence of an isothermal layer may possibly be found in the fact that carbon dioxide condenses and freezes at low temperatures even when the pressure is low. The strata in which CO2 circulates, falling as small drops and then evaporating, must be comparable in the irregularity of their temperature gradients with the strata near the earth in which water circulates. The temperature of the bottom of the mist of CO2 must be approximately a function of the pressure, so it is to be expected that the height of the mist will vary from day to day and from place to place. In particular, it appears that the change of temperature gradient should occur in the tropics at a greater altitude and lower temperature than elsewhere. The observations to which Mr. Cave refers (NATURE, June 17) confirm this part of the theory.
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WHIPPLE, F. Temperature of the Upper Atmosphere. Nature 81, 6 (1909). https://doi.org/10.1038/081006b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/081006b0
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