Why is the water bluer on some beaches than on others, and what determines the color of the water in the sea? The answer to this question was given on the pages of The Sun newspaper by British scientists. The color of the water depends on the depth, the soil at the bottom, and also the number of small marine fauna, they assure.
First, as noted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experts, the sea is not blue.
“Most of the world’s oceans are completely dark. Most of the light that enters from the surface is already scattered at 200 meters, and light never penetrates to a depth of more than a kilometer. Sea water appears blue to us because water absorbs colors in the red part of the light spectrum. Like a filter, it leaves colors in the blue part of the light spectrum that we can see,” they said.
But how to explain that on some beaches the water color is more blue? There are several reasons for this. In many cases, this is because the sea is shallower – this part is found around the same Greek islands, as well as in Italy – the light, in this case, penetrates deeper into the water. In the Caribbean islands, the bright color of the water is also due to the composition of the soil – “the islands have heavier sandy deposits, which make the ocean seem less cloudy,” the researchers explained.
In addition, active “biological activity” makes the seawater muddy and green. “The more phytoplankton in the water, the greener it is. The less phytoplankton, the bluer it is,” the scientists noted.
The last factor is the “character” of the sea. Calmer water will always look bluer as sediment, sand, and everything else is less likely to rise to the top.