Why People from Northern and Southern California are different
- John Teravskis (Mr. T)
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The ocean currents off the coast of California are a significant part of why there is such a huge difference between Northern and Southern California (and you thought it was due to sports teams and politics!). Coming from the north is the California Current which is a cold current with relatively low salinity and high dissolved oxygen content. Arriving from the west is a warm and quite saline current known as the Central North Pacific Water (think Hawaii). Coming up from Mexico and hugging very close to the shoreline is the warm and shallow California Countercurrent and the deeper California Undercurrent. All of these currents collide and mix south of Point Conception in the Santa Barbara Channel where the Channel Islands are located.
The currents are what makes Southern California beaches so nice, warm, and enjoyable; and what makes Northern California beaches so cold and frigid. These currents also affect weather. Warm water produces and helps carry high energy and heavy rainfall producing storm events (e.g., the Pineapple Express); while the cold water off of the Northern California coast produces heavy fog banks and wind even during the summer months. One could argue somewhat successfully that the currents are the reason why people from Southern California are different from those in Northern California. The beach environment affects beach culture which in turn affects local culture. Hence, shave ice and the smell of coconut sunscreen in SoCal, and coffee and sourdough clam chowder bowls of NorCal.
You have made him (man) to have dominion over the works of Your hands ... the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. Psalm 8
David, who wrote Psalm 8, most certainly did not spend much time traveling the world's oceans and probably did not understand the concept of ocean currents. But moved by the Holy Spirit in this great psalm of praise to God about His creation, David recognizes the role the Creator gave to humans, who were made "a little lower than the angels," to have dominion over animals, birds, and all that pass through "the paths of the seas." While David might not have comprehended the full truth of what he wrote and what eventually would become known as Psalm 8, the Holy Spirt did understand these concepts and would reveal them to another believer approximately 3,000 years later.
Matthew Fontaine Maury was an American naval officer who initially served as a sailor and was later put in charge of the Depot of Charts and Instruments. He told his family that the text of Psalm 8 inspired him to investigate the "paths of the seas." Matthew studied log accounts from numerous ship captains and officers about observations of how adverse winds and drift currents affected their sailing vessels. This lead him to publishing the "Wind and Current Chart of North Atlantic" which helped ship captains to use the ocean currents and winds to their advantage and, thereby, greatly reduce the time needed for their ocean voyages. This and his subsequent published scientific works have earned him the title Father of Oceanography.
The above article is an excerpt from my newest addition to the National Parks Testimony Series on the FaithandScienceIntersect.org website which features the Channel Islands. Visiting the Channel Islands off the coast of California is like taking a trip back in time. While breathing in the ocean breezes, observing the relatively untouched flora and fauna, and taking in the scenic coastal views, the island visitor can get a feel for what California was like during the days of the California missions and Mexican ranchos - a time before modern urbanization and development changed the State's landscape. This is largely due to the preservation efforts and formation of one of the newest national parks. Founded in 1980, the Channel Islands National Park is comprised of five islands located off of Southern California's Santa Barbara and Ventura coastlines. The islands are, from west to east, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara. Not only do the Channel Islands provide an unique view of a relatively untouched California ecosystem, also evident in the park are three testimonies to truths taught in the Bible:
God has made pathways in the sea (Psalm 8:8);
God sets the boundary for the sea (Jeremiah 5:22; Job 38:8-11) and He lifts up the islands (Isaiah 40:15); and
God provided for the propagation of His creation and the populating of the islands after the Genesis Flood (Genesis 8:17).
I hope you can join me for a virtual trip via the internet to a very special place ...
--- Yours in Christ, John Teravskis (Mr. T.)
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