I've been pondering the following passage in the Eden - Joy chapter of YY:
Quote:Before we examine the next verse, recognize that scientifically, we have discovered that the earth was shrouded in water vapor for millions of years, creating a nurturing greenhouse effect. The climate was temperate from the equator to the poles. As a result, the evaporative heating process required to produce water vapor and then rain did not occur. We know this because we have found tropical fauna in the mouths and stomachs of mammoths recently freed from their icy graves north of the Arctic Circle. And petrified wood is bereft of tree rings, confirming consistent growing conditions and a lack of seasonal temperature variations and rain. Even the existence of dinosaurs is related. Without the direct assault of the sun’s damaging rays, reptiles, unlike other species, have virtually unlimited growth potential. That is not to say that there were not places and periods when the vapor canopy gave way to rain, only that there were extensive regions and extended periods when precipitation didn’t occur as it does today.
“Everyone (kol) ponder and consider (siah – imagine, meditate upon and think about) the earth (‘erets) before (terem – previous to the time of) the spreading out of the land (sadeh – expansion of the ground, open fields, and the terrestrial environment) came into being (hayah – came to exist) and of all the growth of (samah – springing to life, and the increase in size, quantity, and vitality of) green plants (‘eseb – vegetation) in this earlier (terem - previous) environment (sadeh – of expanding ground and of fields). For Yahuweh, God (‘elohym), had not (lo’) caused it to rain (matar) upon (‘al) the earth (‘erets – land and world). And (wa) ‘Adam (‘adam – man) was not there (‘ayin) to work (‘abad – toil in) the soil (‘adamah – ground).” (Genesis 2:5) “Imagine,” God says, “the world before land began to emerge from beneath the seas, before rain, and before man.” This is difficult for us because we humans are self centric and see most everything from our own perspective.
I understand that water vapor, (NOT CO2)is the principle greenhouse gas. I can also see the evidence Yada mentions for a warm climate / vapor canopy: lack of tree-rings in petrified wood, mammoth remains in the artic with tropical fauna, very large reptile fossils, etc. It still seems to me that over the Earth's long history our planet has experienced variations in climate to include periods of cold or ice ages and weathering prior to Adam's day almost 6,000 years ago.
In the last 1,000 years or so history has witnessed climate changes to include the mini-ice age, cooling associated with large volcanic eruptions, and the climatic shift that caused the Norsemen to abandon their settlements on Greenland which they indicate was once actually green rather than the ice sheet we see today.
I see evidence of glaciers in the northern USA with north to south running lakes and river valleys among other evidences for long lasting ice ages. I see the mountains in the Eastern USA much shorter, worn and weathered then the Rockies or Alps.
These signs make me think that our planet has experienced both long periods of warm climate such as Yada indicates as well as more temperate and even ice ages. As an example, I'll guess at period preceding the mass dinosaur extinction the Earth's climate was warm like Yada describes while soon after the global climate changed abruptly for the colder. I'll gather that in Adam's day the climate was again warm, changing soon after the meteor strike triggering the great flood in Noah's day roughly 1,000 years later.
I'm still unclear how this fits with Scripture's account of climate in Adam's day or a vapor canopy? Does this canopy allow for variations in climate? What of earlier meteor strikes, super massive volcanic eruptions like Yellow Stone? Would these permit colder periods or ice ages and yet allow a vapor canopy to endure or restore itself?
I'd love to know your thoughts on these questions and especially Yada’s.