Our Precious Atmosphere

ON May 4, 1961, Malcolm Ross and Vic Prather were carried aloft to an altitude of 21.5 miles [34.6 km]. At the time, setting a new record did not mean much to Ross. What impressed him was the view as he carefully raised a blind and looked out of the gondola for the first time.

“The scene as we topped 100,000 feet [30,500 m],” he recalls, “was utterly magnificent.” Ross was amazed by the colors that mark different layers of the atmosphere. First, there is the “bright and whitish-​blue” of the troposphere, which extends about ten miles [16 km] above the earth. Then the deep blue stratosphere gets darker and darker until finally there is the blackness of space. “In silent awe we contemplated the supernal loveliness of the atmosphere,” Ross wrote in National Geographic.

Indeed, our lovely atmosphere is worth contemplating.

Life Sustaining

Our atmosphere is, in effect, an ocean of air that encircles the earth to a height of about 50 miles [80 km]. It weighs more than 5 quadrillion [5,000,000,000,000,000] tons and presses down on our heads with a force of 14.7 pounds per square inch [1.03 kg per sq cm or 101 kilopascals or 1,013 millibars] at sea level. Without that air pressure, we could not survive, since it prevents our body fluids from vaporizing. The upper atmosphere lacks sufficient air pressure to sustain human life. For that reason Ross and Prather had to wear pressurized space suits. “Without artificial pressure,” explained Ross, “our blood would boil, our blood vessels and organs rupture.”

Of course, we also need this ocean of air to keep breathing. Most of us, however, take it for granted because we cannot see it. A religious man of ancient times said appreciatively: “[God] gives to all persons life and breath and all things.”​—Acts 17:24, 25.

Without our atmosphere, there would be no medium to hold aloft dust around which drops of water form. So there would be no rain. If it were not for our atmosphere, we would be scorched by the sun’s direct rays, and we would freeze at night. Thankfully, the atmosphere acts like a blanket, trapping some of the sun’s heat so that nights are not too cold.

Furthermore, the atmosphere provides protection from incoming meteors that would harm earth’s inhabitants. “Solid bodies from space,” explains Herbert Riehl in his book Introduction to the Atmosphere, “arrive at the outer limit of the atmosphere with an estimated total mass of several thousand tons per day.” However, most meteors disintegrate in the atmosphere before reaching the earth’s surface.

The atmosphere adds to our enjoyment of life. It gives us our lovely blue skies, puffy white clouds, refreshing rain, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. Moreover, without the atmosphere we could not hear the voices of those we love, nor could we listen to our favorite music. Why? Because sound waves need a substance through which to travel. Air is a perfect conveyer of sound, whereas no sound is heard in outer space.

A Marvelous Mixture

In ancient times men viewed the atmosphere as a single substance. Then, in the late 18th century, scientists discovered that it is composed mainly of the two complementary gases, nitrogen and oxygen. About 78 percent of the atmosphere is nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen; the remaining 1 percent is composed of such gases as argon, water vapor, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, krypton, hydrogen, xenon, and ozone.

Oxygen, of course, is the life-​sustaining gas that our bodies absorb through breathing. The level of oxygen in our atmosphere is perfect for life on earth. If it were to drop significantly, we would become drowsy and eventually lose consciousness. If its concentrations were to increase too much, it is said that even damp twigs and the grass of the forest would ignite.

Nitrogen is the perfect diluent of oxygen, yet it plays more than a passive role in sustaining life. All organisms must have it to live. Plants obtain nitrogen from the atmosphere with the aid of lightning and a special class of bacteria. We, in turn, obtain nitrogen from the food we eat.

That our atmosphere maintains the correct ratio of oxygen and nitrogen is a marvel. Nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere, thanks to the valuable work of microorganisms. What about oxygen? Vast quantities are used up in fires and through the breathing of humans and animals. Yet the atmosphere maintains its level of 21 percent oxygen. How? Through photosynthesis​—a chemical process in green leaves and algae—​which releases over one billion tons of oxygen into the atmosphere every day.

Photosynthesis cannot take place without carbon dioxide​—a trace gas that makes up only 0.03 percent of the atmosphere. With the aid of light, plants depend on carbon dioxide to grow and produce fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. Carbon dioxide also reflects heat back toward the earth to keep our planet warm. But if the level of carbon dioxide were to increase through the combustion of too much wood, coal, gas, and oil, the temperature on earth would eventually become so hot that life would cease. On the other hand, if carbon dioxide were to decrease too much, photosynthesis would cease, and we would starve.

Ozone is another trace gas upon which life on earth depends. Ozone in the upper part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere absorbs ultraviolet rays from the sun. Thus we on earth are shielded from these harmful ultraviolet rays.

Indeed, the more we get to know about the atmosphere, the more reason there is to marvel. Its composition of nitrogen, oxygen, and other trace gases is just right. The size of the earth is also just right to maintain the balance. If the earth were smaller and weighed less, its gravitation would be too weak, and much of our precious atmosphere would escape into space.

“On the other hand,” states the science textbook Environment of Life, “if the earth were slightly more massive than it is, the increased gravitational force would cause larger quantities of gases to be retained. . . . The delicate balance between the gases of the atmosphere would be upset.”

Sadly, however, the “delicate balance” is being upset by man’s modern life-​style. How serious is the situation, and what hope is there that our precious atmosphere will be saved from ruin?

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When Sunsets Look Better

The atmosphere reflects the sun’s rays in such a way that it gives the sky a pleasing blue appearance. As the sun drops toward the horizon, its rays have to pass through much more atmosphere. This produces a variety of vivid colors that city dwellers may never see.

Sunsets over industrial cities are usually dull and lack colors other than shades of red. If the region is heavily polluted, observes the journal New Scientist, “the Sun appears as a dull red disc that may fade away even before it reaches the horizon.”

“In an exceptionally clear, unpolluted atmosphere,” the above journal explains, “the colours of sunset are especially vivid. The Sun is bright yellow and the adjacent sky is shades of orange and yellow. As the Sun disappears below the horizon, the colours change gradually from orange to blue. Low-​lying clouds continue to reflect the light of the Sun, even after it has vanished.”

Just imagine the variety of beautiful sunsets that will be enjoyed in a pollution-​free world!​—Revelation 21:3-5.

When Our Atmosphere Is Damaged

IN 1971, while en route to the moon aboard Apollo 14, Edgar Mitchell said upon viewing the earth: “It looks like a sparkling blue and white jewel.” But what would a person from space see today?

If special spectacles permitted him a view of the invisible gases of earth’s atmosphere, he would see a very different picture. In the magazine India Today, Raj Chengappa wrote: “He would see giant punctures in the protective ozone shields over Antarctica and North America. Instead of a sparkling blue and white jewel he would see a dull, dirty earth filled with dark, swirling clouds of dioxides of carbon and sulphur.”

What has punctured holes in our upper atmosphere’s protective shield of ozone? Is the increase of atmospheric pollutants really so dangerous?

How Ozone Is Being Destroyed

Over 60 years ago, scientists announced the discovery of a safe refrigerant that could replace others that were toxic and gave off a bad odor. The new chemical was composed of molecules having one carbon, two chlorine, and two fluorine atoms (CCl₂F₂). It and similar man-​made chemicals are called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

By the early 1970’s, the production of CFCs had grown into a huge worldwide industry. They were being used not only in refrigerators but also in aerosol spray cans, in air conditioners, in cleaning agents, and in the manufacture of fast-​food containers and other plastic-​foam products.

However, in September 1974, two scientists, Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, explained that CFCs gradually rise into the stratosphere where they eventually release their chlorine. Each chlorine atom, the scientists calculated, could destroy thousands of ozone molecules. But rather than ozone being destroyed evenly throughout the upper atmosphere, destruction of it has been much greater over the poles.

Every spring since 1979, large amounts of ozone have vanished then reappeared over the Antarctic. This seasonal drop in ozone is called the ozone hole. Moreover, in recent years the so-​called hole has been getting bigger and lasting longer. In 1992, satellite measurements revealed an ozone hole of record size​—larger than North America. And not much ozone was left in it. Balloon measurements revealed a drop of more than 60 percent​—the lowest ever recorded.

Meanwhile, ozone levels have also been dropping in the upper atmosphere over other parts of the earth. “Latest measurements,” reports the magazine New Scientist, “show that . . . there were unusually low values of ozone concentration in 1992 between latitudes 50° North and 60° North, covering Northern Europe, Russia and Canada. The ozone level was 12 per cent below normal, lower than at any time in the 35 years of continuous monitoring.”

“Even the most dire predictions,” states the journal Scientific American, “are now shown to have underestimated ozone loss caused by chlorofluorocarbons. . . . And yet at the time, powerful voices in government and industry strongly opposed regulations, on the grounds of incomplete scientific evidence.”

An estimated 20 million tons of CFCs have already been released into the atmosphere. Since it takes years for CFCs to drift up to the stratosphere, millions of tons have not yet reached the upper atmosphere where they do their damage. However, CFCs are not the only source of ozone-​destroying chlorine. “NASA estimates that about 75 tons of chlorine are deposited in the ozone layer each time a shuttle is launched,” reports the magazine Popular Science.

What Consequences?

The consequences of less ozone in the upper atmosphere are not fully understood. One thing that seems certain, however, is that the amount of harmful UV (ultraviolet) radiation reaching the earth is increasing, resulting in a greater incidence of skin cancer. “During the last decade,” reports the journal Earth, “the annual dose of harmful UV striking the northern hemisphere rose by about 5 percent.”

Just a 1-percent rise in UV is estimated to cause a 2- to 3-percent rise in skin cancer. The African magazine Getaway states: “There are more than 8 000 new cases of skin cancer in South Africa every year . . . We have one of the lowest levels of ozone protection and one of the highest incidences of skin cancer (the connection is no coincidence).”

That the destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere would cause an increase in skin cancer was predicted years ago by scientists Rowland and Molina. They recommended an immediate ban on the use of CFCs in aerosols in the United States. Recognizing the danger, many countries have agreed to stop production of CFCs by January 1996. In the meantime, however, the use of CFCs continues to pose a danger to life on earth.

The drop in ozone over Antarctica, reports Our Living World, “has allowed ultraviolet radiation to penetrate deeper into the ocean than previously suspected. . . . This has caused sizeable reductions in the productivity of the single-​cell organisms that form the base of the oceanic food chain.” Experiments also show that an increase in UV reduces the yield of many crops, posing a threat to the global food supply.

Indeed, the use of CFCs is potentially catastrophic. Yet our atmosphere is being bombarded by many other pollutants. One is an atmospheric gas that in trace amounts is vital to life on earth.

Effect of Pollution

In the mid-19th century, humans began to burn ever larger amounts of coal, gas, and oil, adding large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. At that time the amount of this trace atmospheric gas was about 285 parts per million. But as a result of man’s increased use of fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide has reached over 350 parts per million. What has been the consequence of more of this heat-​trapping gas being in the atmosphere?

Many believe that the increase of carbon dioxide levels is what has caused the rise in earth’s temperatures. Other researchers, however, say that global warming is due particularly to our sun’s variability​—that the sun has been emitting greater energy in recent times.

Whatever the case, the decade of the 1980’s was the hottest since records started to be kept in the mid-19th century. “The trend continued into this decade,” reports the South African newspaper The Star, “with 1990 the hottest year on record, 1991 the third warmest, and 1992 . . . the tenth warmest year in the 140-​year record.” The slight decrease over the past two years is attributed to dust ejected into the atmosphere when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

The future effects of the increase of temperatures on earth are hotly debated. But one thing global warming evidently has done is to complicate the already difficult task of weather forecasting. New Scientist notes that wrong forecasts “may be increasingly likely as global warming changes the climate.”

Many insurance companies fear that global warming will make their policies unprofitable. “Faced with [a] spate of misfortunes,” admits The Economist, “some reinsurers are reducing their exposure to natural disasters. Others are talking of quitting the market altogether. . . . They are scared of uncertainty.”

Significantly, in 1990, the warmest year on record, a large portion of the Arctic ice pack retreated to an unprecedented degree. This resulted in hundreds of polar bears being stranded on Wrangell Island for over a month. “With global warming,” warns the magazine BBC Wildlife, “these conditions . . . might become a regular occurrence.”

“Weather experts,” reported an African newspaper in 1992, “are blaming global warming for a dramatic increase in the number of icebergs which are drifting north from Antarctica and presenting a hazard to ships in the south Atlantic.” According to the January 1993 issue of Earth, the gradual rising of the sea level off the coast of southern California is due, in part, to a warming of the water.

Unfortunately, humans keep pumping a staggering amount of toxic gases into the atmosphere. “In the USA,” states the book The Earth Report 3, “a 1989 report by the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that more than 900,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals are pumped into the air every year.” This figure is considered an underestimate because it does not include exhaust fumes from millions of motor vehicles.

Shocking reports of air pollution also come from many other industrialized countries. Especially horrifying have been the recent revelations of uncontrolled air pollution in Eastern European lands during decades of Communist rule.

Earth’s trees, which absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, are among the victims of toxic air. New Scientist reported: “Germany’s trees are growing increasingly unhealthy, according to . . . the minister of agriculture [who said] that air pollution continues to be one of the main reasons for the forest’s failing health.”

The situation is similar in the Transvaal Highveld of South Africa. “The first signs of acid rain damage are now appearing in the Eastern Transvaal where pine needles are changing from a healthy dark green to a sickly mottled beige,” reports James Clarke in his book Back to Earth.

Such reports come from around the world. No country is immune. With chimney stacks that reach high into the sky, industrialized countries export their pollution to neighboring lands. Man’s record of greedy industrial development does not inspire hope.

There is, however, basis for optimism. We can be confident that our precious atmosphere will be saved from ruin. Learn in the next article how this will be accomplished.

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Destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere has led to an increase of skin cancer

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What are the consequences of such pollution?

How Our Atmosphere Will Be Saved

WILL humans willingly stop filling our skies with filth? Is this how our atmosphere will be saved?

No. Saving our precious atmosphere is not dependent on human compliance with antipollution requirements. Rather, intervention by One who possesses supreme authority is what will bring about not only a cleansed atmosphere but a clean earth as well.

That the Creator cares for our earth, as well as the life upon it, is shown by the marvelous way that he designed it. He made it to endure to time indefinite, even forever.​—Psalm 104:5, 24.

Provisions for Maintenance

The atmosphere, for example, was created in such a way that it repairs and cleanses itself. Consider the ozone in the upper atmosphere. The ozone shield was ingeniously made so that it absorbs ultraviolet radiation that would be deadly to humans on earth. At the same time, it allows safe light needed by earthly life to pass through.

We learned earlier that the ozone shield is being badly damaged by man-​made chlorofluorocarbons, which rise into the upper atmosphere. How will the protective shield of ozone be replenished? Amazingly, the Creator designed it so that it is self-​repairing. Yes, ozone is constantly being created in the upper atmosphere​—in fact, by those same dangerous rays that ozone filters out! Thus at the same time that man’s pollution is rapidly destroying ozone, some ozone is being replenished.

The situation is similar in the lower atmosphere, where most of the more than 5 quadrillion tons of air is found. Natural cycles rapidly cleanse this air of contaminants in remarkable ways. The World Book Encyclopedia comments: “Wind scatters pollutants, and rain and snow wash them into the ground.”

Clearly, then, if humans stopped polluting the air, or greatly limited such pollution, soon the air everywhere would be sweet and fragrant. Yet the above reference work identifies the problem, explaining: “In many areas, pollutants are put into the air faster than weather conditions can dispose of them.”

How, then, will man’s selfish polluting of the atmosphere be stopped?

A Cleansed Earth At Hand

Pollution will be stopped only by God himself, when he intervenes. The Bible foretells that he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) He will not allow greedy men to continue to pollute this beautiful earth and its life-​sustaining atmosphere indefinitely. He promises: “Evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.”​—Psalm 37:9.

How will an end be brought to all evildoers? It will be by means of God’s heavenly government, his Kingdom, which will replace inadequate governments of men. The Bible promises: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will . . . crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Daniel 2:44) This Kingdom government of God is the one for which Jesus taught his followers to pray: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”​—Matthew 6:10.

God’s will for our earth is that humans should be ruled by his Kingdom and thereby enjoy life in an unpolluted environment. That is why God is determined “to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) What a mighty act of deliverance that will be!

Imagine living on an earth free of all the pollution that selfish humans have heaped upon it! At that time our precious atmosphere will be restored to a healthy condition. This will occur when the Bible promise is fulfilled: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4; 2 Peter 3:13.

What must you do to survive into the righteous new world that God promises? You need to learn about and to follow the teachings of the one whom God sent to earth as His representative. (John 3:16; 7:29) This one, Jesus Christ, said in prayer to God: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”​—John 17:3.

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A clean, unpolluted paradise earth is at hand