The Geostorm Series (Book 6): Geostorm [The Pioneers] Read online

  Based upon the research, the most likely harm to humans when the poles reverse again would be the ways in which a geostorm impacts the Earth’s electromagnetic field. An ordinary, relatively benign solar event could cause exponential damage because of the weakened magnetic field.

  Aviation would probably need to be halted in order to take into account the pole shift, our satellites would need to be redesigned and repositioned, and the planet’s power grids could collapse under the weight of the solar particles that are ordinarily deflected, but allowed to pass through the weakened magnetic field.

  That being said, while scientists are unwilling to predict exactly when the next full reversal will occur, most don’t think it could lead to a mass extinction event unless humans have evolved to the point where they, literally, can’t live without their electronic devices.

  And we’re not there yet … right?

  Right?

  Thank you for reading the Geostorm series.

  Real-World News Excerpts

  A HEAT WAVE IN ANTARTICA MELTED 20% OF SNOW IN 9 DAYS

  ~ CNN online, February 24,2020

  A nine-day heat wave scorched Antarctica’s northern tip earlier this month. New NASA images reveal that nearly a quarter of an Antarctic island’s snow cover melted in that time.

  Antarctica experienced its hottest day on record earlier this month, peaking at 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Los Angeles measured the same temperature that day, NASA said.

  And earlier this month, a massive iceberg along the western edge of Antarctica broke off from the Pine Island Glacier. The 116 square mile-chunk of ice likely fractured as a result of warmer sea temperatures.

  RISING SEAS: FLORIDA IS ABOUT TO BE WIPED OFF THE MAP

  ~ The UK GUARDIAN, March 2020

  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects roughly two feet of rise by century’s end. The United Nations predicts three feet. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates an upper limit of six and a half feet.

  Take the 6 million people who live in south Florida today and divide them into two groups: those who live less than six and a half feet above the current high tide line, and everybody else. The numbers slice nearly evenly. Heads or tails: call it in the air.

  Dig into geologic history and you discover this: when sea levels have risen in the past, they have usually not done so gradually, but rather in rapid surges. Scientists call these events “meltwater pulses” because the near-biblical rise in the height of the ocean is directly correlated to the melting of ice and the process of deglaciation.

  NEWLY IDENTIFIED JET STEAM PATTERN COULD IMPERIL GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLIES

  ~ PHYS.org, December 2019

  Scientists at Columbia University have identified systematic meanders in the globe-circling northern jet stream that have caused simultaneous crop-damaging heat waves in widely separated breadbasket regions-a previously unquantified threat to global food production.

  Among other effects, these atmospheric wobbles may pull frigid air masses from the polar regions, or hot ones from the subtropics, into the populous midlatitudes. The wobbles strongly influence daily weather. When they become particularly large, they can bring prolonged heat waves, droughts or floods in summer; or in colder seasons, abnormal cold spells.

  … almost all the global events have occurred since 2000 …

  COSMIC RAYS REACH RECORD HIGH AS SOLAR ACTIVITY NEARS SPACE AGE LOW

  ~ Electroverse Online, December 14, 2019

  Scientists at Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus have been launching cosmic ray balloons almost weekly since March 2015. Their results reveal atmospheric radiation has reached record highs, just as solar activity is approaching a space age low.

  According to the study, during the last five years, the sun’s magnetic field weakened and the outward pressure of the solar wind decreased. This allows more cosmic rays to penetrate the inner solar system as well as our planet’s atmosphere.

  Radiation levels have been increasing almost non-stop since the Earth to Sky Calculus monitoring program began, with the latest flights (Dec 2019) registering the highest levels of all.

  When cosmic rays hit the top of Earth’s atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles and photons that rain down on Earth’s surface. This is what the team’s balloons measure—the secondary spray. This type of radiation, which you can also find in medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners, has increased more than 20% in the stratosphere.

  More crucially however, CRs hitting Earth’s atmosphere have been found to seed clouds (Svensmark Effect), and cloud cover plays perhaps the most crucial role in our planet’s short-term climate change.

  “Clouds are the Earth’s sunshade,” writes Dr. Roy Spencer, senior scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “And if cloud cover changes for any reason, you have global warming — or global cooling, and heavy, sustained rainfall.”

  Epigraph

  “The character ought to be known of these bold pioneers. From whence did they spring? For what causes, under what circumstances, and for what objects were difficulties met and overcome?”

  ~ Ephraim Cutler, early Northwest Territory and Ohio political leader, 1757 – 1853

  *****

  “The way of the pioneer is always rough.”

  ~ Harvey S. Firestone, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

  *****

  Perseverance is not a long race. It’s many short races one after another.

  ~ Walter Elliot, Scotsman

  *****

  I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.

  ~ Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister

  *****

  Never, never, never give up.

  ~ Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister

  *****

  Don’t die before your dead.

  ~ words to live by.

  Preface

  Every civilization has a flood story …

  A tale of devastation that had befallen them at some point in the past. Are these stories of lore? Is there really a body of thought termed the Flood Myth? Or are these legendary accounts factual?

  If one were to put together a timeline of notable changes in the planet’s climate and cross-reference them to geologic studies regarding our wandering poles, they’d find a correlation between the two and a third notable cultural phenomenon—the stories of epic flood events.

  Most of us are familiar with the biblical story in Genesis of Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood. The story of Noah’s Ark is one of the most famous from the Bible. To be sure, the flood of Noah’s day (around 3000 to 2300 BC) was the most devastating catastrophe in history. The yearlong deluge destroyed the preflood world, reshaped continents, buried billions of creatures, and washed away parts of mountains.

  There are some who might set aside the story of Noah as pure fiction, but before you do, let me suggest that some of the strongest evidence for a global flood as depicted in the Bible has been the presence of flood legends in the folklore of people from around the world. And the stories are all very similar. Each flood story may have aspects of local geography and culture, but they all seem to be telling the same story.

  Over the years, anthropologists, ethnologists, and religious leaders had identified more than two hundred of these stories until a modern-day narrative was accepted—the Flood Myth. From India to ancient Greece, from the Mayans to North American Indian tribes, there was no shortage of tales that were very much alike.

  These stories of epic floods were so similar, one could wonder whether all the cultures around the planet had experienced the same catastrophic event.

  What I’ve learned over the years in studying the threats we face is that small isolated disasters can frighten and even destroy affected populations, but the historical accounts fade with memories over time as they are told and retold, or modified to fit a particular religious belief or cultural narrative.

 
That said, could it be possible that all the two-hundred-plus flood accounts so zealously retold around the world are simply a collection of myths or even isolated incidents? Or was the Great Flood—as revealed in the Bible, a single worldwide cataclysm that affected all of humanity at one point in man’s ancient history—an accurate account of what occurred?

  As is often the case, the answer comes from science. A late-2019 news report out of New Zealand told of a fifteen-hundred-year-old tree that had been buried in twenty-six feet of soil. An analysis of the tree, which lived roughly forty thousand years ago, revealed a period in the Earth’s history when the magnetic field almost reversed during the tree’s lifetime.

  This fast reversal of the magnetic field was considered possible throughout the scientific community, and now there is evidence that it had happened within a blink of an eye in terms of our planet’s life.

  The same kind of scientific breakthroughs have been made as it relates to the epic floods. Recently, scientists used advanced robot technology to travel farther back in time, taking their investigation to the depths of the world’s oceans in search of evidence.

  Just twelve thousand years ago, much of the planet was frozen. To give you some perspective, if you live along the Atlantic Seaboard, your house would’ve been covered with a mile-high layer of ice. In essence, the world was one giant (round) ice cube.

  Then things started to change. The ice began to melt. The water from the melting glaciers began to rush into the world’s oceans, causing floods around the globe. In fact, one such event, oftentimes referred to as the mother of all floods, occurred in the Black Sea region bordering Turkey to the south and Ukraine to the north.

  Research revealed a giant wall of water, which was generated when the Mediterranean Sea grew to twice its present-day size. It rushed across Turkey with a force two hundred times greater than Niagara Falls, drowning everything in its path.

  The scientists, using underwater robotic technology, discovered an ancient shoreline by carbon-dating shells embedded in the sea’s floor. Through their analysis, they established a timeline for the catastrophic event at around 5,000 BC. A period of time that matches the flood referenced in Genesis and other cultures.

  The story of this cataclysmic event, seared into the collective memories of survivors, was passed down from generation to generation until it became prevalent in virtually every civilization’s folklore.

  Now, in modern times, there have been catastrophic floods. Hurricane Katrina’s flooding in New Orleans in 2005 and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 are examples. In the twentieth century, many millions of people have died in China’s multiple flood events.

  One can draw their own conclusions as to whether the legendary floods occurred at the same time as the story of Noah in the Bible, or whether civilizations simply used them as a tool to further religious or cultural beliefs.

  However, I do know this.

  The last ice age ended as a result of some type of cataclysmic event. Suddenly, and thus far without scientific explanation, the waters of the Southern Ocean began to release carbon dioxide, enough to substantially increase the levels in the atmosphere. As the CO2 warmed the planet, the ice sheets melted, ushering in the current climate that enabled humanity to survive and flourish.

  During that period of change, however, there was flooding. Quite simply, the water had to go somewhere. As the water changed its location, the tectonic plates strained and groaned under the extraordinary weight, resulting in seismic activity around the world.

  Scientists are uniform in their belief that it has happened before, and therefore, it could happen again. Is it happening now? Are rising global temperatures a result of our planet’s continuous geologic evolution? Time will tell, and one day, perhaps another storyteller will be talking about what happened in the twenty-first century.

  Thank you for continuing the Geostorm series with me.

  Chapter 1

  Pinnacle Overlook

  Cumberland Gap

  Southeast Kentucky

  “Okay, who’s hungry?” It was a simple question asked by mothers of families millions of times a day around the world, but somehow, in this particular moment, it became the punch line for a sick joke weeks in the making.

  Sarah Boone asked the question in all seriousness, as if the day were like any other. The Boone party stood mesmerized atop the Pinnacle Overlook observation deck, silently taking in the water that had consumed the Cumberland Gap as well as parts of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky as far as the eye could see. Yet, to the matriarch of the Boone family, it was simply the start of a new adventure, one that required a celebratory supper.

  Kristi, the oldest of the Boones’ three children, was the first to break out laughing. Dr. Isabella Dubois, the French scientist who’d become lovers with Chapman, the middle child, nervously snickered, covering her mouth as she studied the faces of the others to gauge their reaction.

  Within seconds, the laughter was contagious as the entire group—from Rachel, the youngest, through Sarah, the oldest and the surviving spouse of Squire Boone—burst out in joyful tears. They spontaneously hugged one another and nervously chatted about creating a feast.

  “I vote we fix up one of our hams!” exclaimed Carly, Levi Boone’s wife.

  “No way!” shouted Chapman. “Oatmeal and Riverfront Farms apples for me!” His suggestion was greeted with groans and playful slugs. During the weeks of their journey from their familial homestead in Southeast Indiana to the Cumberland Gap, their meals had consisted largely of the easy-to-make oatmeal and apples from the farm’s orchards.

  “Mom’s right,” began Kristi. “We’ve been through hell, and now here we are. High and dry, for a change.”

  The incessant rains, which had begun the day Squire Boone died, had been relentless. The group had lived in a constant state of damp clothing as they traveled under the Ohio River and down through Kentucky until their arrival at the Pinnacle Overlook.

  “EE-EE-EE! Woot-woot!” Brooke, the young chimpanzee discovered by Kristi and her new love, zoologist Tommy Bannon, the night the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago descended into chaos, became animated. Sensing the energy and the happiness that had overcome the group, she began to bound around the overlook and jumped on top of the railing, perilously close to falling down the cliff.

  “Brooke!” exclaimed Kristi like a nervous mother. She took a few steps toward the chimp, with her arms stretched out. Brooke lowered herself into a crouch and pushed off the railing, jumping six feet through the air until she crashed into Kristi’s chest.

  Kristi caught her and held her tight, like any mother would who feared for the safety of her child. Kristi had lost her first chimp, Knight, to the madness that that had overcome so many animals around the globe. She vowed not to lose Brooke.

  “No. Danger,” she vocalized while using a free hand to give the chimp instructions in sign language. She took her index finger with her middle finger and tapped them together with her thumb. With her left arm wrapped around Brooke, she created a thumbs-up movement with her right hand, bringing it up toward her chin as if she were repelling a knife attack.

  Slowly, Brooke responded. She used her left hand to emulate the sign for no. And then laughed.

  “Wow, she’s pickin’ that up pretty quick,” observed Levi, who’d taken his son, Jesse, by the hand.

  “Yes, actually she is,” said Kristi. “Whenever we’ve had a free moment, I’ve taught her the basics, just like I started with Knight.”

  “Free time? What’s that?” asked Sarah with a chuckle.

  “Yeah, no kiddin’,” said Levi, who turned suddenly serious as the sun dropped below the horizon, a normal daily occurrence they’d not seen in many weeks. “While we still have a little daylight, we need to get organized.”

  “For what?” asked Kristi.

  “Security, for one thing. Shelter for another. Come on.”

  Chapman laughed as he patted his brother on the back. “You’re such a buzzkill, bro.”<
br />
  Levi led the way with Jesse, his oldest, in tow. He spoke as he walked. “There’ll be time later to catch our breath and figure out what’s next. First, we need to secure our perimeter and set up camp. That dang rain came out of nowhere and disappeared just as fast. It could come back anytime.”

  Chapman, the former meteorologist and storm chaser with The Weather Channel, agreed. “Isabella and I have explained what we know about the Svensmark effect and what brought this rain on top of us. What we don’t understand is what caused it to stop. The cosmic rays are still pounding the planet due to the pole shift and the weakened magnetic field.”

  Isabella interjected, “The hurricane may have changed the atmosphere, temporarily removing the moisture. Tomorrow, as the sun heats the planet, moisture could form again.”

  “See,” interrupted Levi as he picked up the pace, walking up the trail through the tree canopy toward the overlook’s parking lot. “We’ve been through hell and back. Tomorrow, hell could return.”

  Chapter 2

  Pinnacle Overlook

  Cumberland Gap

  Southeast Kentucky

  “I have to go to the bathroom,” seven-year-old Rachel announced sheepishly when the group arrived back at the parking lot.

  Carly wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulder and smiled. “I have to say, I’ve needed to pee ever since the Earth disappeared down there,” she added, referring to the earthquake that tore away part of the mountain’s ridgeline and destroyed what used to be Middlesboro, Kentucky.

  “Well, I just about shit myself,” said Levi with a laugh.

  “Levi! Language!” Sarah scolded her youngest.