The Upper Atmosphere.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 25, 23 June 1909, Page 13

The Upper Atmosphere.

One of the most remarkable discoveries made by ‘'balloon-soundings” is the existence around the earth o£ the stratum of air known as the “inversion layer.” The automatically-record-ing instruments sent up by M. Tesserenc de Bort and others have just shown that the temperature of the air steadily diminishes up to a height of about eight miles, but that beyond is a layer about a mile thick that shows a constant rising temperature with increasing height. As this stratum must vary the atmosphere density and refraction, it gives a basis for some interesting speculations. M. Durand Greville thinks that it must be faintly luminous, and suggests that it may produce the “gegenschein” or midnight glow opposite the sun, that it may give the second lighting up of high peaks in the A?ps after the first twilight glow has faded', that it may hold the flue du’st that gives the brilliant skies after volcanic eruptions, and may explain other puzzling happenings.