First there was an imaginary line passing through the center of the earth, now there is an imaginary line passing through the clouds above us. The latest addition to discoveries in the world of science is a ‘chemical equator’, which keeps the polluted winds in the northern hemisphere from reaching the southern hemisphere.
The northern hemisphere of the earth contains major portions of the landmass and also majority of the human population, and needless to say majority of the industries, whereas the southern hemisphere consists major expanses of the oceans. Each hemisphere has its own circulation pattern, and the point on earth where these patterns meet is called the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the location of which can vary with time, but these winds that reach here - just meet and do not mingle.
The chemical equator has formed a barrier, stopping the carbon monoxide dominated - polluted air in the northern hemisphere from entering the southern hemisphere. It is being used in mapping pollution over different regions of the world. Some scientists believe that chemical equators may form due to seasonal variations in the atmosphere, and presently the concept is not being pursued appropriately.
All this mayhem, and still there is a persisting fact that has not been focused on, it’s a fact that though open water absorbs more heat and contributes to global warming, the greenhouse gases, naturally present in the atmosphere are keeping the southern hemisphere cleaner and more pleasant. Whereas the same greenhouse gases, based on the different sources they come from in the northern hemisphere are causing excessive pollution. At this rate, with the varying ITCZ, we will definitely see the chemical equator shift tremendously and cover the whole earth, and finally there will be no division of the globe.
