DUMMERSTON — Peter Adair reminds us that the thickness of our atmosphere is equivalent to that of an apple skin around a large apple - which, in turn, reminds me of a point I like to make.
If our atmosphere were compressed until it became a liquid, it would be a mere 32 feet thick. It then becomes quite easy to imagine mankind's ability to irreparably destroy the atmosphere, if we picture it as being made up of the same amount of material as a liquid covering the Earth only to the height of a three-story building.
For comparison, if the water in our oceans were evenly distributed over a smooth Earth, it would be about 1.7 miles deep. Think of how we have altered those waters, and the life in it, during our brief time on Earth.
And then think about what we're doing to the atmosphere that we ourselves live in.