The Air Ocean

An illustrated overview of the Earth’s atmosphere.

This interesting educational chart presents the relatively new concept of an ‘Air Ocean’ – a mid-century term used to describe the environment surrounding our world. Earth sits in deep space, amid billowing cosmic dust clouds, insulated by a visible protective veil. Charts and tables surrounding the primary image provide further information on the composition of the atmosphere, electromagnetic waves, heat transfer, and more. While many of the concepts may seem basic to a modern audience, they were novel concepts to WWII-era pilots whose planes (and soon, jets) were capable of flying at ever greater heights.

The work was copyrighted in 1944 by American Airlines, Inc. as Chart No. 2 in the company’s set of Air Age posters (six total). Prepared by Aviation Research Associates, an organization that supported the publication of educational materials related to aircraft operation, aviation safety, etc.