Lately everyone is talking about the weather. We see unusual weather patterns all around the world. Hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes seem to happen more frequently and in places where they never happened before. Cyclones and Tsunamis have been claiming the lives of many people.
In geology books I read that in the beginning all continents were one big piece of earth or super-continent named Pangaea (meaning "all earth"). A coating of sedimentary rocks with fossil inclusions almost completely covers all continents. That led many geologists to believe that the land had been covered by water at one time. The Bible tells us about such a flood.
An abundance of geologic evidence reveals that after that flood, the climate changed. The temperatures dropped and it began to snow in certain areas. As glaciers formed, the ocean level dropped. In school I remember learning about the ice age. It was a time when glaciers covered 1/3 of the earth’s land surface, and probably much more.
The crust of the earth can be compared to the shell of an egg. It is thin and rigid. The weight of the ice mass started to fracture the earth crust, and as land masses separated the continents drifted apart. The entire crust of the earth broke into sections, that is into plates. Powerful earthquakes undoubtedly developed when the earth’s plates subducted.
An almost perfect match exists between the eastern boundary of South America and Africa. The Canary Islands south of Spain have the same sand as the Sahara in northern Africa. Greece has the same Mediterranean climate and food as we find in Turkey.
I also learned in school that the earth’s crust folded and mountains were formed. Geologists affirm that the mountains were built during the glacial epoch.
We live on an unstable earth. The sequence today is exactly the reverse of the glacial build-up of the ice-age. The glaciers are melting and the sea-level is rising. The rise in sea-levels from melting Greenland and Antarctica‘s glaciers causes coastal damage and is a long-time concern. The melting of the ice and the distribution of the mass (weight) are slowing down the rotation of the earth.
We will see many more unusual weather patterns and an increase in earthquakes. But we need not to be afraid:
“G-d is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we are unafraid, even if the earth gives way, even if the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, even if its waters rage and foam, and mountains shake at its turbulence.” (Ps.46:1-3)
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North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com
Thu Jun 26, 10:55 PM ET
Arctic sea ice could break apart completely at the North Pole this year, allowing ships to sail over the normally frozen top of the world.
The potential landmark thaw - the first time in human history the pole would be ice-free - is a stark sign of global warming, according to an article Friday on the web site of the The Independent, a London newspaper.
"Symbolically it is hugely important," said Mark Serreze of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. "There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water."
Last year, the fabled Northwest Passage opened as Arctic ice retreated more than ever before.
There is no land at the North Pole, but as long as anyone has looked, it has remained a giant block of ice year-round. Scientists have been watching Arctic sea ice melt more and more each year. But each summer in recent years, the amount of ice has gotten thinner and thinner. Each winter's freeze, therefore, results in a thinner pack that, this summer, could melt altogether.
"The issue is that, for the first time that I am aware of, the North Pole is covered with extensive first-year ice," Serreze is quoted by The Independent. "I'd say it's even-odds whether the North Pole melts out."
Russia and other countries, meanwhile, have been arguing over who has rights to the region's resources, including potential oil reserves.
Several studies in recent years have predicted that the North Pole could be ice-free within a few decades. Alarm has ratcheted up every summer as the ice gets thinner and thinner. In a study released June 10, scientist said the rapid meltoff in the Arctic could threaten permafrost in continental soil elsewhere above the Arctic circle in a warm version of the snowball effect.
Last summer saw a record melt of Arctic sea ice, which shrank to more than 30 percent below its average. Around the peak of the melt, in September, air temperatures over land in the western Arctic from August to October were more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above the 1978-2006 average.
"The rapid loss of sea ice can trigger widespread changes that would be felt across the region," said Andrew Slater, also of the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Video: Melting Sea Ice Seen From Orbit Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming North vs. South Poles: 10 Wild Differences Original Story: North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer
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