![]() In coastal areas, runoff from rivers, resuspension of sand and silt from the bottom by tides, waves and storms and a number of other substances can change the color of the near-shore waters. If there are any particles suspended in the water, they will increase the scattering of light. The red, orange, yellow, and green wavelengths of light are absorbed so that the remaining light we see is composed of the shorter wavelength blues and violets. When sunlight hits the ocean, some of the light is reflected back directly but most of it penetrates the ocean surface and interacts with the water molecules that it encounters. The red, yellow, and green wavelengths of sunlight are absorbed by water molecules in the ocean. Almost all sunlight that enters the ocean is absorbed, except very close to the coast. In water, absorption is strong in the red and weak in the blue, thus red light is absorbed quickly in the ocean leaving blue. The blue wavelengths of light are scattered, similar to the scattering of blue light in the sky but absorption is a much larger factor than scattering for the clear ocean water. The reason the ocean is blue is due to the absorption and scattering of light. Pure water is perfectly clear, of course - but if there is a lot of water, and the water is very deep so that there are no reflections off the sea floor, the water appears as a very dark navy blue. For most of the world's oceans, your answer would be correct. If someone were to ask you what is the color of the ocean, chances are that you would answer that is was blue. Near the Bahama Islands, the lighter aqua colors are shallow water where the sunlight is reflecting off of the sand and reefs near the surface. This MODIS image of blue water in the Caribbean Sea looks blue because the sunlight is scattered by the water molecules.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |