Could the reason for all the flooding be due to..?

Question

the earth shrinking in terms of land mass?

If trees are contributing to soil shrinkage, and we are being encouraged to plant more trees because of global warming, doesn't that lead to the earth shrinking in landmass and then causing the ratio of water and land to be unbalanced?

Just a thought.

Answer 1

please please PLEASE dont start another scare tactic about global shrinkage...

i have enuff stress just trying to keep fighting of the global warming nutballs

Answer 2

Believe it or not, much of the water in the oceans and seas was made by mammals, including humans--over the millenia. That's because water vapor and CO2 are the 2 primary byproducts of aerobic respiration, or oxygen intake:

Aerobic Respiration:

C6H12O6 + oxygen --> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy (ATP)

Combustion adds even more water to the atmosphere whenever fuels are burned (think of all the cigarettes being lit), and whenever fires start--natural or man-made fires. All fuels (ethane, methane, propane, butane, gasoline, jet fuel, etc) produce water vapor and CO2 as the 2 primary byproducts of combustion:

Combustion:

Butane C4H10 + 6.5 O2 --> 4 CO2 + 5 H2O

So the more farm animals, pets and furry creatures (squirrels, gerbils, hamsters, lorises, lemurs, dogs, cats, horses, etc) respiring on a planet, the more water vapor and CO2 there'll be. And here's the clincher, the more sugary foods and oils consumed, the more water vapor and CO2 added to the atmosphere. The more sports activities on this planet, the more water and CO2 given off. Now you know why we have such a problem with flooding. The flooding will continue unabated and worsen over time since the Earth can be likened to a fishbowl, it just fills up with water unless some of it is removed.

Flooding not only kills people, it also drowns farm animals, destroys crops and increases food prices and may spark an increase in the mosquito population.

Write to your space agency to ship potable bottled water to the moon and Mars. Petition them to build "dynamos" to protect us from cosmic radiation, and to build an "atmosphere" to protect us from uv, gamma and x-rays. Petition fast food chains to build restaurants on Mars and other moons. 160+ moons have been discovered so far in our very own solar system. Terraforming and bioforming a globe takes time, it doesn't just happen by itself.

Answer 3

I shall cut 3 trees today, I've always been suspicious of their silent ways. lol

Answer 4

I don't think we had all the flooding due to shrinking land mass.

There are different reasons a community may flood; storm surge, river flooding or heavy rainfall. Low-lying or poorly drained areas can also increase a community's flood risk. The terrain and the amount of flooding are in direct correlation. Flat lands allow pooling and the risk of severe flooding becomes more pronouned because the water can't run off. Obviously the climatic changes we are experiencing directly affect the amount of precipitation we receive.

Good Thought!



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Answer 5

Hmmm....that's an interesting question! However, I can't imagine that the land mass is getting smaller, but I can see why it would appear it is. However, there are areas in the world that are just naturally prone to flooding, usually occurring at certain times of the year. The flooding that is occurring the the Mid-Western portion of the U.S. is almost always certain, because there are three rivers that run through that area, heavy rain will not give the ground enough time to natually take in all that rain. Also, one of the reasons I think we are encouraged to plant trees, would probably be because they play a huge role in the ecosystem, and especially because they are a source of oxygen and food.

Answer 6

No.  It is cyclical.  The amount of precipitation varies from year to year.  Some say that the total precipitation is increasing due to global warming (more heat causes more water to evaproate into the atmosphere).  I tend to agree with this.  The severity of the floods is also influenced by the clearing of natural vegetation that would otherwise slow down the movement of flood water. (forests of deeply rooted trees cleared to plant corn an wheat)