colour of the ocean

[alchemist]

why does the waters of the unpolluted oceans and seas have their own different natural colour?
is it jus a mere reflection of the sky??

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by alchemist
why does the waters of the unpolluted oceans and seas have their own different natural colour?
is it jus a mere reflection of the sky??

Yes. That's why it's blue on a clear day and gray on a cloudy day. You can also get brown nears estuaries, blue green in shallow areas with sandy bottoms, red in algae blooms, etc.

[Phobos]

Originally posted by alchemist
is it jus a mere reflection of the sky??

No, but sky reflection is part of the reason that you see oceans as blue.

Apparently, water tends to absorb more red light...
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~etrnsfer/water.htm?o=0