Water and Varahavataram
Som Karamchetty
Water neither leaves the earth nor comes from outside. Water from icebergs,
aquifers, clouds, and the oceans is all that we have. All the water we have and
will have is already here on the earth. (Possibly the space explorers take a
little bit of water with them and leave it on other planets.)
Of course, it is possible that if all the water in the
icebergs, lakes, rivers, and clouds goes into the sea, the sea level will
increase. But, such water (on the land) is said to be a small proportion of the
total water on the earth. The oceans and seas already have a very high
proportion of the water on the earth.
If sea level goes up or down in one part of the world, it
should be the opposite in some other parts of the world as all the oceans and
seas are connected.
Hence, the main cause for sea level to rise is the water on the land portion
of the earth reaching the oceans and seas. Let us analyze that aspect.
Total volume of water on earth
is 1.386 billion km³ (333 million cubic miles) 97.5% of that water being salt
water and 2.5% being fresh water.[1 & 2]
Thus, the Fresh water we have
on the earth is 0.025 * 1.386 Km ^ 3 = 0.0365 billion Km ^ 3
Surface area of all oceans and
seas = 361 * 10 ^ 6 Km ^ 2
If all the fresh water on the earth moves to the oceans and seas, the height
of the oceans and seas will increase by the Volume of fresh water divided by
the Surface area of the oceans and seas.
So, the increase in the height of sea water will be 0.0365 billion Km ^ 3 / 361 million Km ^ 2.
= 0.1
km = 100 meters.
Since there is no wall between
the oceans and seas and the land, the water will move on to the land area of
the earth. So let us calculate what happens if all the water covers the whole
surface of the earth.
The total surface area of the Earth is about 510 million km2 (197 million sq mi). Of
this, 70.8%, or 361.13 million km2 (139.43 million sq mi),
is below sea level and covered by ocean water.[3]
Therefore, if the entire quantity of fresh water gets added to the saline
water in the oceans and seas and spread over the whole area of the earth, the
rise of the sea level = 100 * 29.2/100 = 29.2 meters. [4]
As we notice or understand the earth is really not a smooth sphere. It has
deep depressions that formed the oceans and seas. If it were a smooth surface,
the oceans and seas would have covered the entire earth and the earth would
have been at a depth of 29.2 meters under water. This could be our fate unless
we are careful with the environment!
The puranas say that God Vishnu during the Varahavatara lifted the Earth
from the seas. [5] If we do not take the literal meaning for the word ‘lift’
but to understand it as the Earth being taken out of its plight, we can realize
that Srimannarayana might have reshaped the earth as it exists now, after his
‘lifting” it out of the sea. So, one should imagine that He squeezed the earth
so that there are depressions that formed the deep depressions, where the water
got stored and as the quantity of material of the earth got displaced, formed
the hills and mountains while some portions stayed flat.
So, we have the current Earth and the environment as the gift we received
from Srimanarayana.
As the sun shines, more water will evaporate and reach the land thus
increasing the amount (or volume) of water on the land potion of the earth.
But, because water runs downhill, it will try to go back to the sea, except
where it is trapped or used up. Thus, a good recycling and recirculating
mechanism provided to give us fresh water perennially.
If we create a smoke screen over the earth and reduce the sunshine (solar
radiation) reaching the oceans, there will be less sea water evaporated and
less amount of rain water on the land and the amount of sea water will
increase. Furthermore, if we allow too much sun to melt the icebergs on land,
water will run down to the oceans and seas. In either scenario or some
combination of both, more water will reach the oceans and seas.
That is when the oceans and seas will begin to rise to the maximum level.
Based on the current trend, how long will it take to get there?
“The rate of sea level rise in
the satellite era has risen from about 0.1 inch (2.5 millimeters) per year in
the 1990s to about 0.13 inches (3.4 millimeters) per year today.” [6]
At this rate, the sea level
will rise to its maximum level in 100 meters divided by 3.4 millimeters per
year. That yields 29,412 years
So, it is likely to be a 1,000
generations. It may first affect those in low lying areas of the earth but, you
tell your descendants to start getting towards the Mount Everest and they can
be here on earth a long time. Moreover, as the ice melts, they will have some
free land there on the Mount Everest to grow food. They should take some good
soil and some seeds too. Yes! Some ammunition also as another country is
already encroaching there.
Of course, by growing some
trees, they can keep some water in those green trees and there will be less
water going to the oceans and seas.
Cautionary Note: This is not purported
to be a scientific paper but a simple guesswork on my part.
References:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_distribution_on_Earth
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth
[4] Assumption that the earth as a smooth sphere with no valleys and
mountains.
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varaha
