A group of researchers from various USA universities has used crowd sourced photos and computer models to predict the effects of climate change on the frequency of rainbows up to the year 2100.
The researchers gathered thousands of photos of rainbows from publicly available photo sharing sites and matched the photos to rainfall, cloud cover and the angle of the Sun for the locations of the photos. They then used computer modelling to predict changes in global climate in the coming decades and used these to predict the occurrence of rainbows in different latitudes and altitudes.
They concluded: “By 2100, climate change is likely to generate a 4.0–4.9 % net increase in mean global annual rainbow-days (i.e., days with at least one rainbow)” They also claimed 66–79 % of land areas will gain rainbow-days, “mainly in high-latitude and high-elevation regions with smaller human populations”.
The best places for rainbows will be mountainous islands like Hawaii. According to Steven Businger, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, “This is because island terrain lifts the air during daily sea breezes, producing localized showers surrounded by clear skies that let the Sun in to produce majestic rainbows.”
The research team also commented that rainbows have a cultural significance for human beings and cite many examples including: “In the Bible, rainbows are mentioned as God’s promise to never again flood the Earth.” However, they do not give any Biblical reference as the source of this statement but refer to another journal article.
References: Science Alert 3 November 2022; Global Environmental Change 28 October 2022 doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102604
Editorial Comment: It is good that these scientists acknowledged the Bible refers to rainbows when God promised never to flood the world again, but we wonder why they only gave a secondary source as their reference when they should have gone to the original source – Genesis 9:8-17.
If they had done this, and read this passage in its original context, they would be confronted with some uncomfortable facts for modern academics. One is that is that God is in charge of the climate; two, there was no rain before the flood; and three, from the end of the flood until the end of the world, and there would be regular patterns and cycles of weather, including periods of heat and cold. (Genesis 8:22)
The other uncomfortable fact from the Bible is the rainbow is God’s creation, as He is the one who created light and the atmospheric conditions that causes light to form rainbows. Therefore, the symbolic meaning given to rainbows is also from God. Rainbows are a reminder of God’s judgement in sending the flood, and his mercy in saving Noah’s family and then promising not to destroy the world by another worldwide flood. God is still Judge of all human beings and anyone who wants to add another meaning to rainbows will ultimately answer to God for whatever message they are using His creation to proclaim.
PS Don’t miss the fact that GAYS use a 6 banded rainbow, and God uses a 7 banded one. Good As You (GAY) always falls short of God’s created standards, and they all need Christ as Saviour like the rest of us sinners.
Creation Research News 17 November 2022
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