• Question: why is the sea blue if water is clear

    Asked by 379cmtm32 to Rehemat on 6 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Rehemat Bhatia

      Rehemat Bhatia answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      Good question! I had to double check what I thought before answering you.

      The ocean looks blue because red, orange and yellow (parts of light with long wavelengths) are absorbed more strongly by water than blue (blue has a short wavelength). When white light which comes from the sun enters the ocean, it is the blue that gets returned. Therefore, we see that the sea is blue!

Comments

  • Photo: Stephen

    Stephen commented on :

    Sea water looks blue, as it is the last colour to be absorbed by the sea water. If you have ever the chance to go scuba diving you can see first hand how colours change as you go deeper in the sea.