by Hugh Ross, Ph.D.
Reason to Believe
1998


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.


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.

This list includes too many remarkable “coincidences� to convince me of
anything other than divine craftsmanship.

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.