🌊 WHY THE OCEAN IS BLUE
PAGE 1 OF 5, THE BIG BLUE MYSTERY
BLUE
THE SEA LOOKS BLUE FOR A SCIENCE REASON
From a beach or a plane, the open ocean often glows a rich deep blue. That colour is not blue paint poured into the water. Sunlight is a mix of many colours. Water treats those colours differently as light travels down. Some colours get soaked up. Blue light is better at bouncing around and coming back toward our eyes. That is why the deep open sea looks so blue.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Clear deep ocean water looks deepest blue. Shallow or muddy water can look totally different even on the same sunny day.
BLUE!
SUN
☀️ Sunlight carries many colours mixed together, even when it looks white to us.
🌊 When that light enters the ocean, the water begins sorting those colours by depth.
🌊 When that light enters the ocean, the water begins sorting those colours by depth.
EYES
👀 Your eyes mostly notice the light that scatters back up from the water.
💙 In clear deep water, more of that returning light is blue, so the sea looks blue.
💙 In clear deep water, more of that returning light is blue, so the sea looks blue.