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Facts and Faith, Second Quarter 1998: Earth Design Update: Sea-Salt Aerosols

Dr. Hugh Ross, Ph.D.

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Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he was the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant and ancient objects in the universe.

Not all of Hugh's discoveries had to do with astrophysics. He observed with amazement the impact of describing for people the process by which he came to personal faith in Jesus Christ. Some have expressed dismay but most have been overjoyed to meet someone who started at religious ground zero and through scientific and historical reality testing, became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God. He was stunned to discover how many individuals believed or disbelieved without checking evidence.

Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelation of Himself in Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his unique message. Communicating that message as broadly and clearly as possible became his mission. He scouts the frontiers of origins research to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology.

Between writing books and articles and recording the weekly television program Reasons to Believe, he travels around the world challenging high school and university audiences, churches and professional groups to consider the evidence for what they believe. He presents a persuasive case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest.

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Ten American scientists have strengthened the case for divine design of Earth and for the reliability of Scripture, though they may not realize they have done so. Their experiments tell us, first, that the interface between Earth’s oceans and atmosphere perfectly fits life’s needs for relatively moderate temperatures and a stable water cycle. Second, their findings offer possible help in understanding what happened on the fourth creation day, when Earth’s atmosphere changed from translucent (opaque) to transparent.

These researchers studied aerosols, particles suspended in air, above the oceans in the southern hemisphere. They focused specifically on intermediate-sized (0.08-1.0 micrometers) aerosols, the ones that 1) most efficiently scatter solar radiation, and thus balance Earth’s surface temperatures, and 2) serve as the tiny “seeds” around which water drops, then clouds, and finally rain drops form, producing Earth’s water cycle. They chose the southern oceans (40-50° S) where the boundary between the ocean and the atmosphere is relatively undisturbed by continents.

Their study showed that over 90% of the aerosols in this region falling within the crucial intermediate size range are grains of sea salt. These sea salt aerosols are there because of a “just right” balance between ocean salinity and wind velocity at the ocean’s surface. In other words, for Earth to end up with a life-suitable surface temperature range, climate, and water cycle appropriate for advanced life, five Earth features (among others) require fine tuning:

• Earth’s rotation rate, which determines surface wind velocities, must fall within a certain range,
• Earth’s continents must be distributed in a such a way as to allow for strong and steady winds over large areas (such as the “roaring forties”),
• Ocean salinity must fall within a certain range
• the salt cycle (circulation of salt from the continents to the oceans and back again) must proceed at an adequate rate, and
• atmospheric composition must be just right to hold the aerosols long enough for water drops to form around them.

Understanding more about sea-salt aerosols today may help us understand a dramatic change that occurred in Earth’s distant past, a transformation described in Genesis 1:14-15, creation day four. Earth’s atmosphere changed at that time from being a permanent, thick overcast to being occasionally transparent. Since Earth was rotating three or four times faster in that early era than it does today, and since the continents were less widely dispersed to break up the surface wind, sea-salt aerosols were likely much more abundant then than they are now.

More sea salt whipped into the atmosphere meant a heavier (much heavier) cloud cover until the continents spread and the rotation slowed. At some point these two factors (along with the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increase of oxygen resulting from plant life) reached the right levels to bring about a significant decrease in that cloud cover, yet still adequate to produce rainfall. At that time, an observer on the surface (where God says His Spirit was hovering) would see, for the first time, the heavenly lights, our sun, moon, and stars.

Reference:
D. M. Murphy, et al, “Influence of Sea-Salt on Aerosol Radiative Properties in the Southern Ocean Marine Boundary Layer,” Nature, 392 (1998), pp. 62-65.

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Updated: 14 December 2002