Well, I've done a bit of poking around
Submitted by A.I. Watcher on May 26 2002 17:44:59
In reply to Oh, tell me, by the way submitted by A.I. Watcher on May 26 2002 08:01:50
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It appears that starting in 1961, certain creation "scientists" asserted that Noah's flood was caused by the sudden precipitation of a great canopy of water in the atmosphere - not in orbit. The theory was that this canopy blocked UV light and raised life spans and that when it fell, a great flood covered the earth. Atmospheric scientists analyzed this theory and quickly pointed out to creationists that if enough water were to be in the atmosphere as to actually be able to account for the flood, then surface temperatures would be far too high to support life as we know it. The Institute for Creation Research admitted in 1998 that even enough suspended water to yield one meter of water over the surface of the earth would produce surface temperatures too high to allow for human life. When I read your assertion that the water was in orbit, I laughed because I know enough about orbital mechanics and mathematics to know what the major problems are. I went and did some research anyway and things are as I suspected. If the suborbital canopy idea is rejected (as the math says it is) and orbital water is postulated instead, then you still don't have a viable flooding mechanism. Liquid water is of course impossible in orbit. It would be ice - even if it were granular. Orbital mechanics would not allow for an ice canopy. The structure would be unstable and unviable. Instead, one would have to postulate systems of rings - like exist in orbit around Saturn. K then - the rings would be perpendicular to the plane of orbit because of tidal forces. In other words, they stand on edge meaning they block out no appreciable amount of sunlight. So, with orbital water, the UV theory goes out the window. But what about the flood? Surely rings of ice could contain enough water to flood the earth. That's questionable because of the problem of sublimation - the direct change in state from solid to gas that happens with water ice in space when exposed to the sun. Over a very short period of geological time huge amounts of the ice would simply "boil" away. But presuming that the ice DID remain in orbit through some sort of unknown mechanism, what then? The ice, as it fell to the earth, would reach enormous temperatures due to friction. It would be change to superheated steam. larger pieces would actually impact the earth and leave crater marks. In any case, it would be pretty bad for Noah and family in the ark who would probably die of the effects before any liquid water was able to cause flooding. |
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