When he made a decree for the rain,
and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
Job 28:23
"Rainfall is one of the most ordinary yet extraordinary phenomena on Earth.
The research, led by researchers Jiang and Burney of the University of California San Diego and Stanford, respectively, revealed that
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Their findings revealed distinct differences in the quantity, predictability, and intensity of ocean-derived rainfall compared with land-derived rainfall.
Specifically, they found that ocean-derived rainfall tends to be heavier, more reliable, and more consistent, while land-derived rainfall is weaker, less predictable, and more vulnerable to drought cycles.
While much rainfall originates from a combination of sources, the researchers found that when land-derived moisture accounts for more than one-third of total rainfall, the risk of drought increases significantly compared with regions below this threshold. Using this benchmark, they identified parts of the U.S. Midwest and East Africa as particularly exposed to drought risk due to their reliance on land-sourced moisture.
Forest disturbances, for example, reduce evapotranspiration, creating feedback loops elsewhere in the system that can lead to prolonged and potentially devastating drought. These discoveries provide yet another example of the interdependence that exists within Earth’s weather and climate system, upon which ecosystem function depends. Forests, soils, oceans, and the atmosphere all work together to sustain ecological systems. Yet such interdependence is difficult to explain as a product of blind chance.
The water cycle is often taught as a simple loop:
While much rainfall originates from a combination of sources, the researchers found that when land-derived moisture accounts for more than one-third of total rainfall, the risk of drought increases significantly compared with regions below this threshold. Using this benchmark, they identified parts of the U.S. Midwest and East Africa as particularly exposed to drought risk due to their reliance on land-sourced moisture.
Forest disturbances, for example, reduce evapotranspiration, creating feedback loops elsewhere in the system that can lead to prolonged and potentially devastating drought. These discoveries provide yet another example of the interdependence that exists within Earth’s weather and climate system, upon which ecosystem function depends. Forests, soils, oceans, and the atmosphere all work together to sustain ecological systems. Yet such interdependence is difficult to explain as a product of blind chance.
The water cycle is often taught as a simple loop:
evaporation,
condensation,
precipitation,
and runoff.
But Jiang and Burney’s study shows that this cycle is far more intricate.
The balance between oceanic and terrestrial moisture sources is critical for global food security.
This balance reflects purposeful multi-scalar engineering.
Oceans serve as vast reservoirs, enabling consistent rainfall across continents.
The study showed that oceanic moisture can travel efficiently in
‘atmospheric rivers’ in the upper atmosphere, supplying continents on a broader spatial scale than land-based moisture. Working in conjunction with the oceans, however, terrestrial moisture reservoirs appear to play a more significant role in regulating moisture at smaller scales.
Forests, in particular, act as localized regulators by recycling moisture to sustain nearby crops. Meanwhile, micro-reservoirs such as soil moisture interact with vegetation to create stable microclimates. Beyond their role in climate regulation, forests also protect underlying soil moisture while generating atmospheric moisture and supporting rich biodiversity.
Such multifunctionality is difficult to explain as the product of chance.
Such multifunctionality is difficult to explain as the product of chance.
Q: How would random processes produce ecosystems that simultaneously regulate climate, sustain biodiversity, and support human populations?
If rainfall were purely random, chaotic distributions would be the likely outcome, with no predictable patterns capable of sustaining agriculture. Instead, Jiang and Burney’s research confirms yet again that Earth’s climate system is both delicately balanced and remarkably robust, capable of supporting billions of people. Taken together, these findings provide reasonable evidence that the components of Earth’s weather and climate system were designed to serve multiple, integrated purposes in sustaining life.
Cosmological evolution often suggests that the complex systems of Earth, and the broader universe, emerged through trial-and-error processes operating over vast timescales.
If rainfall were purely random, chaotic distributions would be the likely outcome, with no predictable patterns capable of sustaining agriculture. Instead, Jiang and Burney’s research confirms yet again that Earth’s climate system is both delicately balanced and remarkably robust, capable of supporting billions of people. Taken together, these findings provide reasonable evidence that the components of Earth’s weather and climate system were designed to serve multiple, integrated purposes in sustaining life.
Cosmological evolution often suggests that the complex systems of Earth, and the broader universe, emerged through trial-and-error processes operating over vast timescales.
However, these recent findings raise further questions as to the viability of this proposed explanation in several ways:
Fine-tuning of an ‘ideal’ land/ocean moisture ratio.
The study found that too much reliance on land-derived moisture increases susceptibility to drought cycles, while insufficient terrestrial moisture would undermine local ecosystems.
This suggests that an ‘ideal’ ratio of oceanic to terrestrial rainfall may be required to sustain diverse plant communities; a ratio that appears non-arbitrary.
Q: Could this be yet another example of fine-tuning?
Irreducible complexity.
The well-established interdependence among the atmosphere, land, and oceans provides additional evidence of irreducible complexity in climate systems. If any one element is removed or significantly impaired, the system fails to function properly.
Predictability: Farmers rely on rainfall cycles being sufficiently regular to support agriculture.
The well-established interdependence among the atmosphere, land, and oceans provides additional evidence of irreducible complexity in climate systems. If any one element is removed or significantly impaired, the system fails to function properly.
Predictability: Farmers rely on rainfall cycles being sufficiently regular to support agriculture.
If rainfall were truly random, sustained agriculture would be nearly impossible.
The fact that rainfall can be studied, modelled, and forecast suggests the presence of underlying order; and this order, in turn, implies design." CEH
