Why id the ocean blue

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? Perhaps the most helpful response came from Michael Kruger of the department of physics at the University of Missouri. He sent the following reaction:. The sky is blue not because the atmosphere absorbs the other colors, but because the atmosphere tends to scatter shorter wavelength blue light to a greater extent than longer wavelength red light.

Blue light from the sun is scattered every which way, much more so than the other colors, so when you look up at the daytime sky you see blue no matter where you look.

This scattering is called 'Rayleigh scattering'; the amount of scattering goes as the frequency of the light to the 4th power. Applied Optics. One of the most striking things about coral is its bright coloring.

But many are a dull green or brown. So, what gives some corals their bright hues? But does all our breathable air come from just land?

A trip to the ocean means sun, wind, and waves. Surfers ride them. Children play in them. Swimmers dive beneath them. But what causes waves? As anyone who has tried diving to the bottom of a deep pool knows, all that water gets heavy—fast. Extreme pressure is one reason why the ocean floor is still largely unexplored.

He uses techniques that span isotope geochemistry, next generation DNA sequencing, and satellite tagging to study the ecology of a wide variety of ocean species. He recently discovered that blue sharks use warm water ocean tunnels, or eddies, to dive to the ocean twilight zone, where they forage in nutrient-rich waters hundreds of meters down.

Born in New Zealand, Simon received his B. With much of his work in the South Pacific and Caribbean, Simon has been on many cruises, logging 1, hours of scuba diving and hours in tropical environs. He has been a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution since Gregory Skomal is an accomplished marine biologist, underwater explorer, photographer, and author.

He has been a fisheries scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries since and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program. For more than 30 years, Greg has been actively involved in the study of life history, ecology, and physiology of sharks.

His shark research has spanned the globe from the frigid waters of the Arctic Circle to coral reefs in the tropical Central Pacific. Much of his current research centers on the use of acoustic telemetry and satellite-based tagging technology to study the ecology and behavior of sharks. He has written dozens of scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, BBC, and numerous television networks.

His most recent book, The Shark Handbook, is a must buy for all shark enthusiasts. Robert D. He served in the U. Navy for more than 30 years and continues to work with the Office of Naval Research. A pioneer in the development of deep-sea submersibles and remotely operated vehicle systems, he has taken part in more than deep-sea expeditions.

In , he discovered the RMS Titanic , and has succeeded in tracking down numerous other significant shipwrecks, including the German battleship Bismarck , the lost fleet of Guadalcanal, the U. He is known for his research on the ecology and evolution of fauna in deep-ocean hydrothermal, seamount, canyon and deep trench systems.

He has conducted more than 60 scientific expeditions in the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Sunita L. Her research explores how the larvae of seafloor invertebrates such as anemones and sea stars disperse to isolated, island-like habitats, how larvae settle and colonize new sites, and how their communities change over time.

Kirstin also has ongoing projects in the Arctic and on coral reefs in Palau. Her work frequently takes her underwater using remotely operated vehicles and SCUBA and carries her to the far corners of the world. We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.

Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Why is the ocean blue? Do all bodies of water appear blue? Why are some oceans more clear than others? Tags: See All Tags , absorption , algae , blue , Caribbean , Christopher Columbus , color , coral , eye , green , light , mirror , molecule , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , ocean , phytoplankton , pollution , reflection , river , sand , sediment , shallow , sky , sunlight , water , wavelength.

Wonder What's Next? Keep WONDERing with a few friends or family members when you explore the following activities: Want to virtually explore some of the world's beautiful waters?

If you could pick any of the places to visit, which would you choose? If you'd like to try a cool experiment that involves colored water, jump online and check out the Floating Colored Water Experiment. You'll need just a few simple supplies: two glasses, salt, food coloring, water, and a spoon. Have fun learning about density with this easy experiment! Up for a challenge? See for yourself how light absorption affects how we perceive the color of water. You'll need to take a short field trip with a friend or family member to a nearby body of water.

It could be an ocean, a river, a lake, or even a small pond. Be sure to bring a clear drinking glass with you. Look at the body of water and determine what color it appears to be. Does the color change depending upon how far away the water is from you?

Now take your clear drinking glass and fill it with water from your source. Hold it up and compare its color to the body of water it came from. Can you see the difference? Isn't it interesting how it looks different than the larger body of water due to differing absorption of light?

Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words ocean shade shore pond coral rhyme mirror absorb shallow sediment stir composition characteristic molecule algae phytoplankton exceptional Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

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