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Earth Design Update: Ozone Times Three

Dr. Hugh Ross, Ph.D.

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Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he was the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe.

Not all of Hugh's discoveries had to do with astrophysics. He observed with amazement the impact of describing for people the process by which he came to personal faith in Jesus Christ. Some have expressed dismay but most have been overjoyed to meet someone who started at religious ground zero and through scientific and historical reality testing, became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God. He was stunned to discover how many individuals believed or disbelieved without checking evidence.

Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelation of Himself in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. He scouts the frontiers of origins research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology.

Between writing books and articles and recording the weekly television program Reasons to Believe, he travels around the world challenging high school and university audiences, churches and professional groups to consider the evidence for what they believe. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest.

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Researchers now recognize that too thick a stratospheric ozone layer would present problems just as severe. If too little ultraviolet radiation gets through to Earth's surface, plant growth is inhibited and certain vitamins will not form in certain animal species. In other words, unless the stratospheric ozone layer is just right, not too thin and not too thick, Earth's biomass, biodiversity, and biovitality will be impaired.

Recently researchers have discovered the delicacy of ozone quantities in all three atmospheric layers, including the troposphere (the first six miles above Earth's surface) and the mesosphere (from fifteen to fifty miles out). Though the stratosphere (between six and fifteen miles above Earth) contains the lion's share of Earth's ozone, the troposphere holds about 10% and in the mesosphere, about 1%.

Tropospheric ozone, rather than being depleted by human activity, is being augmented by it, and dangerously so. Fossil fuel burning and agricultural burning have produced vast ozone-enhanced regions over the north mid-latitudes and the continental tropics. The negative impact of all this extra tropospheric ozone is respiratory failure in humans and other large animals, reduced crop yields, and the destruction of ozone-sensitive species.⁽²⁾

Some ozone in the troposphere is necessary, however, to cleanse the atmosphere of certain biochemical and industrial pollutants.⁽³⁾ Ozone may be considered the troposphere's detergent. As is the case in the stratosphere, the ozone quantity for the troposphere must be just right, not too great, not too small, to support and protect life.

Ozone in the mesosphere also has a vitally important role. It absorbs ultraviolet radiation, and this absorption process is the most significant factor governing the chemistry and circulation of gases in that layer.^(4,5) Mesopheric chemistry and gas circulation largely determine which gases are retained and which are lost by Earth's atmosphere, a determination vitally important to life's long-term survival. Again, the ozone quantity must be carefully balanced between too much and too little.

Recently, atmospheric physicists discovered yet another delicate ozone balance: the rate of ozone transfer between the stratosphere and the troposphere. Measurements by specially equipped commercial airliners reveal that efficient ozone exchange really does occur.⁽⁶⁾ Apparently deep convective systems near the equator can transport huge amounts of ozone from layer to layer. What a complication! Not only must the quantity of ozone in the three atmospheric layers be carefully fine-tuned for life's sake, but so must the efficiency and stability of interlayer ozone transport.

Suddenly King David's words, penned three thousand years ago, carry even greater depth of meaning: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge."⁽⁷⁾

References:

1. Hugh Ross, "Fears Rise as Ozone Levels Drop," Facts & Faith (v. 5, n. 4, 1991), p. 2.
2. W. L. Chameides, P. S. Kasibhatla, Yienger, and H. Levy II, "Growth of Continental-Scale Metro-Agro-Plexes, Regional Ozone Pollution, and World Food Production," Science, 264 (1994), pp. 74-77.
3. Paul Crutzen and Mark Lawrence, "Ozone Clouds Over the Atlantic," Nature, 388 (1997), pp. 625.
4. Paul Crutzen, "Mesospheric Mysteries," Science, 277 (1997), pp. 1951-1952.
5. M. E. Summers, et al, "Implications of Satellite OH Observations for Middle Atmospheric H₂O and Ozone," Science, 277 (1997), pp. 1967-1970.
6. K. Suhre, et al, "Ozone-Rich Transients in the Upper Equatorial Atlantic Troposphere," Nature, 388 (1997). Pp. 661-663.
7. Psalms 19:1-2, Holy Bible, New International Version.

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Updated: 14 December 2002