Last week I received a daytime call from my daughter, her beautiful smile flashed on my iphone. Immediately I knew there was a problem, my daughter is too busy to call me during working hours.  I was prepared for the worst.

But it wasn’t my daughter. In a crowded room that sounded like a hospital, a woman informed me that she was using my daughter’s phone because my daughter was hurt and in the emergency room.  That initiated a panicked sequence of the caller asking me to talk louder and me screaming for more information. Frustrated, the caller hung up.

Frantic, I called back, but it went to voicemail.  

I texted my daughter, no response.  

I sent my daughter an email, the minutes ticked by while I refreshed an empty inbox.

In that instant, I realized that I had no way to find my NYC-based daughter.  I didn’t know her work colleagues and her business didn’t have a receptionist.  Employees used their own cell phones.  

I searched her company’s website and LinkedIn for an HR contact.  I found the cell phone for an HR rep and called her.

It went to voicemail.  

I found an HR email address and sent an email labeled EMERGENCY, URGENT, Help—asking them to confirm that my daughter was at work.

Within 10 minutes, my daughter called.  She had been in a meeting away from her cell phone or computer.  

It was a curious malicious or spoofing call.  The caller didn’t ask for money or information.  If she was trying to record my voice, she would have only recorded screaming and I do not use voice recognition features.

Most frightening was that the caller knew to ghost my daughter’s phone even though we have a different last name.  

I mentioned this to my aunt who had recently received a call from her “grandson” saying that he was hurt and needed money.  My aunt is nobody’s fool, so she told the caller to hang up. She called her confused grandson back. He was fine. Another malicious call.

I have a very cautious friend who was spoofed by an “Apple Tech rep” informing her that a virus had invaded her Apple computer and they were tasked with removing it.  The “rep” only needed some personal information…in time she realized that it was a spoofing call.

My financial advisor is now notified when a client requests a suspicious wire transfer.  He calls the client and talks him through the request, typically a malicious call. He has saved his clients thousands of dollars.

The FCC says that unfortunately these malicious and spoofing calls will only get worse.  VoIP calls are inexpensive and there is virtually no accountability, many are generated overseas.

We all get them.

I personally have been informed that my credit card has been compromised, that the IRS has put a lien against my property and my personal favorite, that the sheriff is coming to arrest for me an outstanding warrant.  Think about it. Why would the sheriff call to make sure that I was home before he comes to arrest me?   

My call was taken to another level because the spoofer knew both our numbers and our relationship. 

The data was probably obtained from hacking my cellphone supplier’s website (since my daughter’s cell phone is on my plan). Verizon confirmed me that the information most likely came from a hack of their site but insisted that only my account had been hacked.  

So far, I only lost a ½ hour of panic.  But I know that others have lost more…so here is some advice I learned from the Verizon fraud representative.

If you get a call saying that a child or grandchild needs money, hang up and call back.  

Unless you can personally verify the information, do not send money and do not give up identification codes.

My daughter was embarrassed because her office went crazy checking on her to make sure that she was okay. 

I was not sorry.

I was just being a mom.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

 

I remember a friend telling me proudly how he had taught his son to hate the Turks. His family was Armenian, and though his family had lived in America for generations, he taught his son to hate the Turks for slaughtering the Armenians in the early 1900s.

In my global travels, I have seen a lot of this teaching. In the Balkans, the Croats and Serbs despise each other, even though they acknowledge that they cannot tell each other apart.  

An increase in tensions in Ireland between Protestants and Catholics is feared due to Brexit.

Old hostilities and hatred must be taught. 

And new hostilities are being created, for example our current President’s vendetta against undocumented workers and everyone who doesn’t love him.  (I am embarrassed to admit that I was pleased when the Game 5 World Series crowd used the chant that our President coined against his opponent and turned it around against him. I know that I should be better than that.)

But it reminds me that a special leader can break the cycle.

President Nelson Mandela split with some members of his party over retribution for the horrible crimes of apartheid.  When Nelson was released from the jail, he needed to be protected from proponents of apartheid and members of his own party who wanted “Africa for Africans.”

Mr. Mandela saw that revenge would bring chaos, but forgiveness would build a nation.  To begin the cycle of forgiveness, he and Bishop Tutu created a “truth commission.”

The goal of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), was to create a culture of accountability, to uncover the truth and to assist victim’s families in getting closure. Victims and their families could share their stories with the world. 

Through South Africa’s publicly televised TRC proceedings, white perpetrators came face-to-face with the African families that they had victimized; they would see the impact of what they had done and by doing so, they were pardoned.

People ask me how South Africa looks only 25 years after Apartheid ended.  I see integration everywhere and great respect and affection for Africans. The African people showed us only kindness and graciousness, and, like most visitors, we fell in love with the African people. 

It shows what a true leader can do. Mr. Mandela is revered in Africa because he inspired a nation.  He brought a peaceful transition from a horrible circumstance. He practiced forgiveness and led his people to do the same.

It is not all rainbows and unicorns, the severe unemployment has increased the crime rate, subsequent leaders have not met Mandela’s standards. The previous leader, Jacob Zuma, has been accused of corruption. South Africans are hopeful that the next leader (who had been selected by Mandela) will help a country that has desperate needs in education, housing and jobs from decades of apartheid.  

Despite its troubles, South Africa serves as a beacon for acceptance and forgiveness, imagine what our world would be like if we our leaders followed his model.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The concept of keystone species was recognized 50 years ago by Robert Paine, a zoologist who was looking to disrupt the way that science understood nature. Prior to Paine’s pioneering work, scientists looked up the food chain, identifying the impact of disruptions in the lower levels (e.g., plants and small predators) on animals in the higher levels.

Paine turned this thinking on its head (for those of you interested, Kuhn’s work on scientific revolutions explained how these paradigm shifts are a primary mechanism for scientific advancement).  

Paine investigated the impact of the apex predator on the environment. The apex predator resides at the top of the food chain, for example, lions, tigers, sharks and, frankly, us.  Of course, it is not environmentally conscientious to remove an apex predator from the environment and certainly not possible on a large scale. But Paine found that small tidal pools were ideally suited to this test. He relocated starfish (which are the apex predator of tidal pools) from one tidal pool and left a neighboring tidal pool intact.  

To his surprise, removing starfish drastically impacted the biodiversity of the tidal pool. Other tidal pool creatures such as periwinkles, whelks, barnacles, crabs, and sea urchins virtually disappeared as mussels usurped the tidal pool.  

The good news, he reintroduced starfish into the tidal pool and eventually the genetic diversity of the tidal pool returned.

This gave birth to the notion of “keystone species.” Keystone species are so crucial to the environment that to eliminate them effectively dismantles its diversity. Starfish are a keystone species in tidal pools.

Since his discovery, scientists began identifying other keystone species. At first, they focused on apex predators such as wolves in the US, panthers in South America, and largemouth bass in streams.  

Later they were able to identify keystone species that were not apex predators; for example, Wildebeests in the Serengeti.

Why is this exciting?  Well, it means that science has given us a formula for repairing the environment…bring back its keystone species and let nature do its work.

It isn’t a slam dunk, many scientists believe that the concept of keystone species is too simplistic. They believe that nature is too complicated to allow just one species to “make or break” it.  But even if that is true (and it probably is); at least the concept of keystone species gives us a place to start.

What does that mean for the Eastern Shore?

Many scientists believe that oysters are a keystone species.  And this keystone species is in trouble; wild oysters are down to 1% of their precolonial levels.

If we can reintroduce the oyster population to its earlier levels, our estuaries on the Eastern Shore (for those who don’t know most of our rivers and the Chesapeake Bay are estuaries) will recover.

A single oyster filters fifty gallons of water a day.  Other filter feeders such as mussels, clams, sea grapes, parchment worms and even the annoying barnacle live in oyster reefs. The oyster is not only the most effective, but it builds the habitat for the other filter feeders. 

Advocacy groups recognize the importance of the oysters and have worked tirelessly to pass legislation, secure funding, monitor our estuaries, educate the public and research our vast Chesapeake Bay estuaries. Their work has led to beneficial legislation, increased funding, an educated population and thousands of acres made available for oyster farming.  Without their efforts, I cannot imagine what our estuaries would be now.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation effectively advocated for a multi-state event to improve the estuaries by creating the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. All states that are part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed have committed to reducing the pollution going into our estuaries.  

But without addressing the keystone species it seems like we are effectively rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  

Only four Eastern Shore estuaries have been targeted for full scale introduction of oysters: Harris Creek, Little Choptank, Tred Avon and Manokin Rivers.  

The results from the 2015 Harris Creek reintroduction are no less than stunning, suggesting that oysters are a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay region. Over 2 billion oysters were planted in 350 acres. During summer months the entire volume of Harris Creek can be filtered in ten days.  Scientists estimate that the oyster reefs in Harris Creek will remove one million pounds of nitrogen from the Chesapeake Bay in a decade. Other filter feeders are getting into the act and mussels and sea squirts living on the reef filter more than 40% of the total load.

First let me emphasize that I am not an expert. It would be extreme hubris for me to claim that I have the answer.  Hundreds have dedicated their careers and their lives to studying this problem, they are the experts. I have no doubt that I have oversimplified the issues and the efforts.

But my mind keeps coming back to logic that if oysters are a keystone species, we can’t restore our estuaries without them.  It would be akin to Dr. Paine removing the mussels from the tidal pools that don’t have starfish, it might help temporarily, but the permanent solution only occurred when he reintroduced the keystone species.

Reintroducing oysters is fraught with political and financial minefields. Lower salinity levels from higher than average rainfalls have negatively impacted mid shore oysters.  Viruses, overharvesting, runoff, and chemicals make it even more challenging. Many reefs have been dredged out of existence and oysters suffocate in the silt. 

Very hard choices are required to restore our keystone species. 

Solutions to restoring oysters are controversial.  (For example, our popular governor vetoed a bill to permanently protect five oyster sanctuaries, fortunately his veto was overridden by the General Assembly.)

Oyster farming is a solution, it addresses the public’s love of oysters and cleans the estuaries.  Through their tireless efforts, advocacy groups were able to get Maryland to make available 600,000 acres for oyster farming.  However, oyster farming is under attack by residents complaining that the oyster farms are ugly and mar their views.

Two politically untenable solutions involve the harvesting of wild oysters: eliminating oyster dredging and imposing a temporary moratorium. 

The only thing that everyone agrees upon is that we cannot restore the oysters on the backs of the watermen. During the moratorium, we need to provide revenue opportunities for watermen, such as building oyster reefs for the next generation.  

We could enlist aid from waterfront owners by making it easy (or possible) for them to install artificial (e.g., spat implanted rebar) oyster reefs along their shorelines. One resident trying to pursue this option has been unable to find the right organization to help.

We need to continue to develop species that are immune to viruses that can flourish at lower salinity levels. 

In the short term, restoring oyster reefs would involve a lot of work, expense and cause heartache for many. 

But science has given us a blueprint to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries; do we have the courage to use it?

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

 

The Southern Pride is gone. 

Just two years ago, we watched this magnificent pride of lions that ruled the Sabi Sands region of Kruger National Park for decades.  At that time, it numbered over a dozen lionesses and one powerful male. We spent hours watching five cubs, playing, eating, tumbling over their mothers, aunts and cousins.  There was even a bachelor group of three male lions on the periphery that clung together, sometimes hunting together, other times at odds, but always lost, not sure of where they belonged. As children of the pride, they would have to move on, but they weren’t quite ready.  

The southern pride was so renown that a lodge was named after it.

How could such a stable and strong pride disintegrate?  It just took the cessation of just two heartbeats.

The male went up north one day and never returned.  Park officials assume that he was killed in a battle with another lion.  Then the matriarch died of old age. The confused pride hung together for a while but when no leader emerged, they disbanded.

I know how quickly this can happen.  Four years ago, my life fell apart after my husband succumbed to a rapacious cancer.  A series of tragic events enfolded including loss of my career (to care for him), loss of aged pets, health issues, and a long series of financial struggles. No one would have foreseen that.  I had an important career, strong roots in my community and a busy life as a mother, wife and volunteer. But when my husband’s life was extinguished, I found myself wandering, not sure where I was going or where I belonged.

The cessation of two heartbeats obliterated a pride that had ruled for decades. 

The end of one life changed my life forever.

But recovery is the other side of loss.

Authorities were hopeful that the Southern Pride would be able to regroup. Five new males had been spotted in the Sabi Sands region.  Authorities discovered a strong lioness from the pride who had remained with her cubs and an older daughter. They held out the possibility that this lioness, her cubs, her daughter and one of those males would be able to rebuild the Southern Pride.

But we learned that only two of the five males had returned from a sojourn up north, both badly beaten and weakened.  This spelled the death knell for the Southern Pride. It would not be able to re-form.

Sometimes things break forever.

Note to Readers: This is the last of the Africa series—Thank you for reading!

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

 

There are too many elephants in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

What?  That cannot be!

I know that this flies in the face of the dire predictions that we receive from wildlife foundations.  

But it is true.  South Africa and its bordering countries have too many elephants.

It is estimated that Kruger National Park can support about 7,000-8,000 elephants.  Experts estimate that there are 20,000 elephants and the herds are growing rapidly. Elephants are destroying the trees, bushes and the entire landscape of the park.

Due to anti-poaching efforts, fences, and the unfortunate value of rhinoceros horns, elephants have no natural enemies and are able to live long lives and reproduce at will.

So, if you are riding through Kruger and it looks like a tornado hit it, don’t worry, a herd of elephants has simply ambled through another landscape.  

South African officials don’t know what to do about the elephants.

In the 1990’s, they allowed hunters to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to “cull” (read massacre) some herds.  While they attempted to obliterate entire families, some elephants escaped and reported what had happened to other elephants.  Soon elephants began attacking humans. 

At another lodge, the owner asked a ranger to roust the elephants from the lodge using a white Range Rover. From then on, the elephants attacked any white Range Rover that drove on park land.

Don’t mess with an elephant’s memory. 

As authorities learned more about elephant intelligence, language and familial bonds, they lost their appetite for “culling.” 

So fortunately, that option is “off the table.”

Another possible solution would be to transport elephants to countries that need them.  That is problematic as well. Elephant family bonds are so strong that breaking up a family is simply cruel.  They would have to move the entire clan. But even if South Africa had the funds to do so, bordering nations have too many elephants. The elephants would have to be shipped great distances to countries that do not protect elephants. In short, sending them to their death.

So, they don’t know what to do.

We are the beneficiaries of this “problem” and we got to observe elephants almost every day.  

One night, I watched an elephant obliterate a poor tree in the backyard of my hut.  He ripped off the branches so that he could dine on the leaves. He balanced himself by putting one foot on my tiny deck. I watched it through the glass doors, it was very dark, a little scary, but thoroughly mesmerizing.

On one dusk game drive, we encountered three bull elephants. All three slowly plodded over to our parked open-air Land Rover.  The elder one wanted to connect with us and walked around our vehicle several times, brushing against the rear bumper. He stopped to look each of us in the eye. He kindly paused in front of me until I realized that I was still wearing my sunglasses. After I removed them, he looked into my eyes and then slowly and peacefully resumed walking around our vehicle and observing us.  After a final nod, he peed next to the Range Rover and slowly ambled away, signaling to the other bulls to do the same.  

As I watched those mammoth creatures slowly slip into the night, listening to the crunching sounds of their footsteps in the bush, I wondered what that elder elephant was thinking.  I don’t know if my presence had any impact on him, but his sure had an impact on me.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

Last week I wrote about nature’s choreography, how the different species worked together (but not in agreement) to take what nature provided. The behavior of each species was crucial to its survival and the survival of the park. Nature behaved flawlessly.

But, like humans, nature isn’t perfect.

It was hard not to be in awe of nature at Kruger National Park in South Africa. We rose before dawn, grabbing whatever warm clothes we can find in the darkness to dash to our waiting Land Rover. No one was late. No one wanted to miss the African sunrise.

The sun rose quickly, a fierce red ball blazoning the cloudless sky. The dried landscape welcomed its arrival and the dry, cold air, quickly warmed. Africa smelled different, its pollution-free, dry air carried a musky scent from bushes, animals and plants that held the soil in place until the rains arrive in December. The sun spread its warmth and light onto the landscape and its creatures, most resting from their night of foraging and hunting.

With the exception of wild dogs, most species hunt at night. Lions and leopards lay in wait for the spectacularly camouflaged antelope, resting warthogs and unprotected babies.

At dusk, hippos rose from their cool river sanctuary to spend the evening consuming grasses. Their skin would blister in the hot sun and their bodies overheated quickly, so during the day we could only observe their bulging eyes and pink nostrils on the surface of the watering hole. When the air cooled, they emerged from their watery refuge. On our evening game drive, we heard the splashes of their large but agile bodies and listened to their deep grunts and groans as they began their feast.
Hippopotamuses have been cartooned as adorable, fat creatures wearing tutus, a wide flat-toothed grin and a sweet, clumsy nature. Never has an animal been so mischaracterized.

Hippopotamuses are the most dangerous animal in the bush, an estimated 500 people are killed by hippos each year. That’s right, more dangerous than lions, leopards, elephants and even rhinos. Those flat teeth you see have been sawed down by zookeepers.

Why are they so dangerous? Hippos are grouchy, unpredictable and quick. One afternoon a young impala leaped into a watering hole to evade a pack of wild dogs. Annoyed that this poor guy jumped into the river, the hippos simply drowned him…just because. The dogs would have eaten him, but the hippo herbivores just killed him. Hopefully his body made it to the shore in time for other carnivores to be fed.
But hippos weren’t the only ones who flouted nature. During our 6-day safari, we were able to observe a number of leopards. Leopards are a solitary bunch, the mother has the sole responsibility for childcare and as soon as the cubs are grown, they leave their home and have only sporadic reunions.

We observed a newcomer to the park. He was an ominous, young, magnificent, powerful male leopard. He had already seized territory from other leopards…but that wasn’t enough. We watched him obsessively sniffing, wandering, clearly on a mission. Our ranger explained that he had caught the scent of young leopard cubs and was searching for them…to kill.

From nature’s perspective, it made no sense. There was nothing to be gained by killing these cubs, there was plenty of territory with few leopards to occupy it. And if he was unsuccessful, he would likely mate with the female cubs that he was trying to kill.

The next day, we saw the mother relaxed and resting after consuming half of a large Kudu that she snared singlehandedly. We searched for her cubs, but she wouldn’t give away their hiding place. Several years before, she had been beaten by a male leopard and had to watch him kill her twin cubs. She was older now, and we left hoping that she was wiser, too.

The most endangered species in the bush are rhinos, but in Kruger, we were able to see almost a dozen. Rhinos are so seriously endangered that anti-poachers risk their lives every night patrolling the park (to date over 1,000 anti-poachers have been killed by poachers). Still, many male rhinoceroses die each year from injuries sustained during a fight with another male.

It shows that nature can be as slow to adapt as we are. Despite dwindling numbers of leopards and rhinos, they haven’t changed their aggressive behavior. And hippos, they kill just because.

Oh well, we all make mistakes.

I recently returned from Kruger National Park in South Africa.  In the next few columns, I will cover what I learned from the master teacher—nature.

Kruger was created in the late 1920s and is one of the largest national wildlife parks, approximately the size of New Jersey.  Kruger differs from the East and Central African savannahs because has some woodlands and offers a wider variety of animals but in smaller numbers.  

As one of South Africa’s greatest assets, Kruger is highly respected, spotlessly maintained, with no litter, few bones and even fewer skeletons.  

Winter is the dry season in Kruger, so the bushveld savannah is thick with dried grasslands, thirsty bushes and bare trees.  

And it can be cold, especially on the 3-hour morning open-air game drive, commencing at 6 a.m. with temperatures hovering in the 50s.  At 3:30 p.m., we hopped into the open-air land rovers for the 3-hour afternoon game drive. A ranger drove the land rover and a tracker sat in a jump seat in the front to spot the abundant wildlife and provide protection, in the very rare instance of danger.  

While these are wild animals, they have become quite used to humans, and view us as a curiosity, an annoyance or simply an irrelevance.  For that reason, we were able to get within a few feet of the animals without impacting their behavior. For example, when observing prides of lions, not even the cubs bothered to look in our direction.  

Seeing animals in their natural environment is breathtaking.  In one instance we were able to watch rare wild dogs consume their kill. 

Wild dogs are beautiful creatures.  Their faces resemble German Shepherds.  They have large rounded ears like hyenas. Their slim, slightly built bodies are covered in a beautiful camouflage colored fur.

Wild dogs are endangered, so observing them is a real treat.  They travel in packs of 7-10 and move quickly, often crossing national boundaries in a matter of days.  To feed the pack, they must hunt twice a day. Due to finely tuned, flawless cooperation, they are the most effective hunters in South Africa, boasting success rates as high as 90% (compared to 25% for lions and 17% for wolves). In Kruger they feast on antelope such as Impala, Kudus, Nyalas, Duikers and Steenboks.

We had the incredible fortune of encountering a pack within 10 minutes of killing a young male impala.  

The dogs worked flawlessly as a group, taking turns feasting on the antelope while others guarded the kill. There were no disagreements, just a silent understanding of their roles.  

Aware that hyenas would immediately pick up the scent of the kill, they ate quickly. Sure enough, within minutes, two hyenas appeared, intent upon stealing the kill.

Each hyena was twice their size, and had the hyenas used a coordinated attack they would have been able to steal the kill.  But the hyenas bickered among themselves, allowing the smaller dogs to keep them pinned.

The coordination among the pack was amazing, each instinctively knew their roles, didn’t bark, growl or yelp (I wish they could train my dogs).  As soon as the hyenas arrived, other members of the pack stopped eating to assist the guards.  

Despite their nasty reputation, hyenas have one of the most important roles in the bush.  Their strong jaws can crush and consume large bones that even lions cannot break.  

We observed one hyena steal the impala’s head and crush and swallow it in a single bite. Hyenas eat so much bone that their scat (a euphemism for you know what) resembles white chicken eggs.

We watched while nature continued to do its dance. While the dogs ate, vultures hovered in the bare trees. A few brave ones began to pick around the feast. But for the most part, they waited for the hyenas and dogs to finish.

One by one the dogs silently crept back to their den, knowing that their pups were vulnerable to hyenas, lions and leopards, they were careful to escape unnoticed.  Back in the den, the pack would regurgitate some of their food for the pups. 

After the dogs departed, the hyenas grabbed the large bones and the vultures wandered around the site eating any remaining morsels of flesh.

Within ½ hour all signs of the kill were gone, anyone wandering onto the scene would see only matted grass and perhaps a wandering hyena or vulture searching for scraps.

So what did nature teach me?

1. The dogs acting collectively were able to beat a greater foe.  
2. The vultures, believing there would be enough for them, patiently waited their turn.
3. The underappreciated cleanup crew of hyenas and vultures left the place spotless. Without them, the bush would be filled with rotting corpses and skeletons. 

It was nature’s play where everyone understood their roles. Their life and death struggle choreographed into a flawless dance.  

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

 

At the end of the story about Noah and the great flood, a rainbow appears as a symbol of God’s promise that this will never happen again.  But there is a better reminder of a force that protects us every day…the Aurora.

Observing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list; but that took a tumble down the list when I discovered that they can only be observed at the earth’s poles (I knew that) in winter (didn’t know that).

So how are the Northern Lights a sign that we are being protected?

The story can be told by comparing Earth and Mars  development. Earth and Mars were very similar when they formed over 4 billion years ago. Both had an atmosphere, chaotic activity, water and carbon, the key elements for life.  Even more important, both had geothermal vents which many scientists believe is where life began. 

Mars was once a blue planet with a vast sea that covered 1/5th of its surface.  Large, freshwater lakes on Mars survived for hundreds of millions of years. It had a 2 ½ mile deep waterfall!

Yet today, Mars is a cold, red, dry, dusty planet and its neighbor, earth, is a blue planet teeming with life and water. 

What happened?

Approximately 3.7 billion years ago, the chance for life on Mars evaporated with its atmosphere.  

Scientists believe the atmosphere was removed by solar winds.

Solar winds are streams of charged particles from the sun that can strip away the atmosphere. Unlike Mars, Earth is protected by a strong magnetic field that forms around it like a shield. Earth’s magnetic field invisibly surrounds our planet; but on some wintry days near the poles, we can see it in action—the aurora.

Our auroras are a visible spectacle of our magnetic field protecting us from the solar winds…all in a mysterious and beautiful display. Technically, the aurora is a result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind, but I like my description better.

So why does earth have this protection and Mars does not? (As it was explained to me) Planets’ magnetic fields are formed by the liquid iron in their cores. Earth’s size means that it has enough liquid iron to generate a formidable magnetic field.  Mars, on the other hand, is a much smaller planet, so it generated a weaker magnetic field. The combination of Mars’s distance from the sun and its relatively small size destroyed its magnetic field, allowing solar winds to gradually rob Mars of its chance for life. Billions of years ago, it stole Mars’ oxygen and hydrogen and eventually its lakes, oceans and waterfalls. To this day, the solar winds continue to strip away Mars’ remaining atmosphere.

So, the aurora is not only beautiful and surreal, but it shows us in a dramatic fashion how our magnetic field is protecting us like a winter jacket from the solar winds. 

Maybe I’ll buy a warmer jacket and move it up on my bucket list. 

Note:  NOVA on PBS has a summer series on the planets for all of those interested in these stories and more.  

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.