Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
8.2 LOGICALLY IDENTIFIED SPECTRUM ASSOCIATED WITH
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
The earth's atmosphere is virtually an envelope surrounding the earth's
lithosphere, wherein six spectra are proposed that play the major role in
maintaining the earth's equilibrium. They are physical form and stability
of the earth, that is, planetary physical spectrum, electromagnetic-nuclear
spectrum besides chemical, biological, pedologic and anthropogenic spec-
tra, wherein human interferences as well as pedogenic disturbances lead
to impose challenges with equilibrium and stability of the earth's climate.
8.2.1 PLANETARY PHYSICAL SPECTRUM
The earth was not like what we see today. In reality, the continents were
all part of single giant landmass. This fact is based on similarity between
plant and animal fossils and rocks found in the eastern coastline of South
America and western coastline of Africa. But, they are now widely sepa-
rated by the Atlantic Ocean. The evidence of tropical plant fossils as coal
deposits in Antarctica opens a conclusive discussion that the frozen land-
mass in the past might have been in close proximity to the equator, where
climate was tropical with plenty of vegetation. When the landmass began
to drift apart gradually in the long past, it might have caused an impact on
climate by changing the physical features of the landmass and the posi-
tion of water bodies even. Consequently, the separation of the landmasses
changed the direction of wind flow including ocean's currents. The Hima-
layan range is still rising upward by about 1.0 mm every year, since the
Indian landmass tends to move gradually and steadily towards the Asian
land mass.
When a volcano erupts, it often throws out large volumes of sulfur
dioxide, water vapor, dust and ash into the atmosphere influencing thereby
the climatic patterns for years. These gases as well as dust particles do
try to block the incoming radiation from sun and thus result into cooling.
Besides, the SO
2
being combined with water forms the droplets of sulfuric
acid. Mount Pinatoba in the Philippine islands underwent eruption in 1991
emitting huge amounts of gases into the atmosphere. Eruptions may often
reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth's surface and low-
