The Oceans

[45:12] GOD is the One who committed the sea in your service, so that the ships can roam it in accordance with His laws. You thus seek His provisions, that you may be appreciative.

[22:65] Do you not see that GOD has committed in your service everything on earth? The ships run in the ocean by His command. He prevents the heavenly bodies from crashing onto the earth, except in accordance with His command. GOD is Most Kind towards the people, Most Merciful.

[11:7] He is the One who created the heavens and the earth in six days―and His (earthly) domain was completely covered with water….

God has designed the earth with about 70% water on its surface. This helps us in many ways including allowing for easy transportation of goods, giving us plenty of fish, keeping the earth cooler and balancing out the carbon in the atmosphere. If the ratios were reversed with 70% land, the earth’s temperature would rise significantly: currently it is estimated that more than 93% of excess heat captured by greenhouse gases is absorbed by the oceans. To put a number to it: the average global temperature right now is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This average temperature would rise to 122 degrees!! More than double. Also, global warming would speed up, and because the oceans would not absorb extra greenhouse gases the atmosphere would be saturated with these gases making it uncomfortable to breathe. 

We know that plants provide the oxygen for us to breathe. About 50-70% of the oxygen in the air is supplied by aquatic plants! If the oceans were half the size, we would have only half the amount of plants.

That means we would have about 25-35% less oxygen being generated and replenished in the atmosphere. As you can imagine, over time this means the amount of oxygen in the air would decrease. You and I would struggle to breathe because it would be like climbing towards the sky with less oxygen available.

This indicates to me that we need to be more appreciative that God has so closely linked our existence to earth’s water & its provisions at our service!

Among the features of the Oceans: It has the longest living creatures because the conditions in the water are stable and consistent. The oldest land forest is about 80,000 years old (the Trembling Giant of Utah, which consists of about 50,000 quaking aspen trees sharing a single root system).  In contrast, the oldest sea forest is about 200,000 years old (a sea grass meadow near Spain).

If we look at animals, some land-based giant tortoises are estimated to live for about 250 years or so. In comparison for sea creatures, we see that Greenland sharks are estimated to live up to 500 years. Bowhead whales are estimated to live over 200 years making them the oldest mammals. Also, we find that some sponges live over 2000 years, with some estimated to be about 10,000 years old. Theoretically speaking, water-based hydra could potentially live forever because their cells do not seem to deteriorate when they clone to multiply. Glory be to God.

Overwhelming Signs of God

[2:164] In the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the ships that roam the ocean for the benefit of the people, the water that GOD sends down from the sky to revive dead land and to spread in it all kinds of creatures, the manipulation of the winds, and the clouds that are placed between the sky and the earth, there are sufficient proofs for people who understand.

Those Who Possess Intelligence

[3:190] In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess intelligence

[3:191] They remember GOD while standing, sitting, and on their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord, You did not create all this in vain. Be You glorified. Save us from the retribution of Hell.

As much as we know about oceans – scientists feel we have barely understood or scratched the surface about the mysteries of the oceans. More than 80% of the ocean remains unexplored. A body of water that covers most of Earth’s surface is also one of the most vulnerable – and least understood – places in the universe. We still have very limited maps of the ocean. It’s difficult and expensive to explore. There is zero visibility, extremely cold temperatures and crushing amounts of pressure. It seems easier to send people into space than to send people to bottom of the ocean. On the surface of the earth, pressure on your body is about 15 pounds per square inch. In space, that pressure is zero. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, pressure is about 1000 times that on the surface. That’s like several jumbo jets pressing down on you!

When we think about that—we can only imagine God’s amazing design. On the same earth, He made creatures that thrive on the surface of the earth and those that live deep inside the sea where the pressures would just crush us instantly. Even with special equipment like the

Cont'd on page 4