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The Philosophy Of Rain

The Philosophy Of Rain image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
November
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

To understand the philosophy of this boautiful and ofteu sublime phenomeuon, so often witnessed and so very essential to the existence of plants and animáis, a few facts derived froin observation and a long train of experimenta, must be remembered. 1. Were the atmosphere here, everywhere, and at all times, of a uniform temperature, we should never have rain, hail, or snow. The water absorbed by it in evaporation from the sea and the earth's surface, would descend in au imperceptible vapor, or cease to be absorbed by the air when it was once fully saturated. 2. The absorbing power of the atmosphere, and consequently its capacity to retain humidity, is apportionately greater in warn than in cold air. The air near the surface of the earth is warmer than it is in the regions of the clouds. The higher we ascend from the earth the colder do we find the atmosphere. Henee the perpetual snow on very high mountains in the hottest climate. Now, when from continued evaporation the air is highly saturated with vapor, though it be invisible and the sky cloudless, if its temperature is suddenly reduced by cold currents descending from above, or rushing from a higher to a lower latitude, its capacity to retain moisture is diminished, clouds are forrned, and rain is the result. It condenses, cools and like a sponge filled with water and compressed, pours out the water which its diminished capacity cannot hold.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus