The race between air and water was at an end.
The temperature difference between air and the ground six feet under comes to my mind.
New York doesn't have to choose between its tax base and clean air.
She was standing in the mouth of the cave, between him and the open air.
Too much distance lay between him and the sweet air above.
All said there was nothing between the swamp and the clean air on the island.
Thus, a barrier is created between the air and the liquid.
After the explosion, he said, "there were about 18 inches between me and the open air."
This also depends on a water differential between you and the air.
There is less between you and the clean air coming off the Pacific.