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Frequently we use the phrase, "the blue sea". We refer to the world as green and blue 馃實. The colours we see are quite true but is it really blue, the ocean? Science begs to differ as it is not blue but looks blue. A big difference. We grew up knowing water as a colourless, odourless substance. Yet when we look at it, we sea the colour blue but if you take from it, you will beg to differ also.
"The ocean looks blue because red, orange and yellow (long wavelength light) are absorbed more strongly by water than is blue (short wavelength light). So when white light from the sun enters the ocean, it is mostly the blue that gets returned. Same reason the sky is blue."
In other words, the color of the ocean and the color of the sky are related but occur independently of each other: in both cases, the preferential absorption of long-wavelength (reddish) light gives rise to the blue. Note that this effect only works if the water is very pure; if the water is full of mud, algae or other impurities, the light scattered off these impurities will overwhelm the water's natural blueness.
Gross then asks, "So why are sunsets orange?" Several people wrote in to correct or clarify that comment.
There are several theories:
Blue wavelengths are absorbed the least by the deep ocean water and are scattered and reflected back to the observer鈥檚 eye.
Particles in the water may help to reflect blue light.
The ocean reflects the blue sky
Most of the time the ocean appears to be blue because this is the color our eyes see. But the ocean can be many other colors depending upon particles in the water, the depth of the water, and the amount of skylight.
Wavelengths of light pass through matter differently depending on the material鈥檚 composition. Blue wavelengths are transmitted to greater depths of the ocean, while red wavelengths are absorbed quickly. Water molecules scatter blue wavelengths by absorbing the light waves, and then rapidly reemitting the light waves in different directions. That is why there are mostly blue wavelengths that are reflected back to our eyes.
Sometimes oceans look green. This may be because there is an abundance of plant life or sediment from rivers that flow into the ocean. The blue light is absorbed more and the yellow pigments from plants mix with the blue light waves to produce the color green.
Sometimes parts of the oceans will look milky brown after a storm passes. This is because winds and currents associated with the storm churn up sand and sediment from the rivers that lead into the oceans.
The ocean may also reflect the blue sky. However this is prominent only at relatively low angles and when the water is smooth.
That's it for today
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