Garie Beach

Why are California beaches colder than Carolina beaches?

I recently traveled to California the past summer, I was really looking forward to going to all the beaches. When I got there I was extremely suprised to find out almost all the beaches were very cold, the water mostly, and this was the middle of summer! Even a few of the beaches I went to it was freezing just to be walking on the beach in a t-shirt. Then I went to NC a few week later and the water was warm and easy to get into. Does anyone know why this is??

Public Comments

1. That's simple. The current in California comes from the north British Columbia and includes an upwelling of cold water. The current in Carolina comes from the Gulf of Mexico and is a much warmer current.
2. Its all because of the water currents. The water in both oceans travel in a circular pattern. However the water on the east coast comes from the Caribian or tropics and travels north up the east coast. The water on the west coast comes down from Alaska where the water is colder.
3. because the current, circle from alaska to south
4. Yes, what the people above said about the currents. Also, the continental shelf along the Atlantic shelf is very broad, and the water gets warmer. The shelf off of California is very narrow. Plus, there's a phenomenon called "upwelling," which means the warmer surface waters are replaced by colder deep water. The cold upwelling stops September-October, which is when the ocean is warmest. Source: I did a video for the Monterey Bay Aquarium and had to learn this stuff.