![]() ![]() ![]() 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. ![]()
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