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Morning Prayer Creator God, who set the stars in their places and directs the course of the planets; who robed this earth with a thin garment of air, making it a haven of beauty and life; who breathed into each of us the breath of life: We thank you for the gift of air. Create in us such a sense of wonder and delight in this and in all your gifts that we receive with gratitude, care for them with love, and generously share them with all your creatures, to the honor and glory of your holy name. Amen. From All Creation Sings, p. 48. Have you taken time to contemplate the atmosphere as a provision of God for life on earth? How amazing it is! When one looks at the picture of Earth, the atmosphere is seen as wispy lines and patches of clouds near the surface – a layer so imperceptibly thin that it is nearly invisible if you look at the edges of the Earth’s sphere. The second photo shows the atmosphere as a thin golden glow at the horizon. It is within this thin, precious layer of atmospheric gases that all life exists – the biosphere, the living and breathing creation of our Lord. Humans live up to three miles above sea level and plants as high as four miles. Above this, it is too cold and there is too little oxygen for life to exist.
Dr. Calvin DeWitt in his book Earthwise, describes seven provisions of the Creator that make life possible on Earth. One of those provisions is Energy Exchange. We will consider two of its features associated with the atmosphere. THE OZONE SHIELD. A layer of ozone is present in the upper atmosphere which intercepts much of the incoming solar UV-B radiation. This form of ultraviolet radiation damages DNA molecules and is a primary cause of skin cancer. The presence of the ozone layer protects life from harmful solar radiation. At the ground level, high levels of ozone are a major pollutant. High in the atmosphere, ozone is a life saver. THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT: In the right amounts, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide regulate Earth’s temperature by governing the amount of long-wave heat radiation that is re-radiated back into space. There is an essential balance between the amount of incoming solar energy and the amount re-radiating back into space. The Greenhouse gases are Earth’s “windows”. They allow shorter wave incoming visible radiation to pass through and strike Earth’s surface but absorb some of the longer-wave heat energy re-radiating back into space. When the “right” balance of greenhouse gases is present, earth remains at the optimum temperature for life. However, the more greenhouse gasses present, the hotter the earth will be! The year 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded on Earth. What will 2024 bring? I recommend that you go back and carefully re-read the morning prayer above. Join me in making that a prayer for life! Thanks for listening. — Joe Sheldon Direct comments to Joe Sheldon at [email protected] If you would like to receive additional information on Creation care, notices of special events, Creation walks I lead, etc. please contact me at the above address and I will add you to my e-mail list. Your comments are welcome. |
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