The Color of Water
What color is water? It is a question that many children ask, not to mention adults, and the answer is invariably that it has no color. It is transparent, clear, see through. So, which answer is the correct one?
Take a look at that lovely cool glass of water below. Looks refreshing and thirst quenching, yes? No? Let me take a look. Oh dear! But colorless, right? Wrong. The water does have color but it is not something that the human eye can see when H20 is present in such small quantities. In order to see the real color of water we must take a look at a large body. By large body, we do not mean Arnold Schwarzenegger, but a place where a great volume of water can be looked through or down into. It can be done scientifically as well, but the human eye can see the intrinsic color of water in the right conditions. You may well have already guessed what that color may be.
Well yes, okay. It is blue, light blue – some would even argue turquoise. Now before you close this page, spare a second to think about why you thought that. Is it because you think that it is due to the reflection of the sky on the surface of a large body of water, such as the sea? So, when the day is overcast and cloudy, how is it that the sea then appears to be the same color or perhaps an even darker blue than on bright, cloudless sunny days? True, the reflection of light does contribute to the color that the water looks, but only when the surface of the water is very still. The picture below, taken in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico shows the sea at its stillest and most serene – and as such its bluest. The red you can see is pure reflection, however, not the color of water at all.
The amount of this color caused by reflection is due mostly to the angle at which you look at it, which in scientific terms is known as the angle of incidence. Put simply it is how many degrees away from looking at water straight on that you are. The higher the angle, the bluer the water will appear due to reflection. This is because the reflectivity of the water is higher in direct correspondence of the angle of incidence. Water can quickly become totally reflective under these conditions.
Of course, what is in the water plays a very important role in the color we perceive it to be. These salt ponds in the US are full of algae. Pink algae. It is not, as legend has it, that the water has such a low PH that when flamingoes attempted to land there that they were effectively melted. It is due to the presence – in very large quantities – of the microalgae Dunaliella salina. So, what more proof can there be that what is in the water often predetermines the color that we see?
Algae is usually associated with the color of green and that of course will change the color of the water. It can also be done by human hand, of course. The denizens of Chicago often turn the color of their river green on Saint Patrick’s Day. Quite what it does to the fish in there – if indeed there are any – is anyone’s guess. It does, however, give the citizens of the Windy City a certain nostalgia for the old country where many of their ancestor originated. Yet this is the color of water changed, back now to water untouched.
Back to the science
The magnificence of the deep blue of the sea off Montserrat. A lot of the color you see comes from the depth of the water, not the sunlight cascading down upon it. White sunlight contains all the colors in the spectrum. Water gives absorbing all these colors a good go but some of them are absorbed more than others. It is only, in addition, any good at doing this if it has a lot of company. In other words, cup sea water in your hands and it appears clear, throw it back in the sea and it joins the rest of the countless H20 molecules in there to become blue.
The sea’s water can absorb red light very well, and so the sea is not red. However, the water does not absorb blue light very well and so this light is transmitted through the water. As it is not absorbed, you perceive the water to be blue. Yes, it is absolutely the same principle as to why the sky is blue as well. We can be blinded by science as well as the sights!
The ferries coming in to the Maldives are dwarfed by the sea and its magnificent multi-coloring. If you have ever been in a swimming pool which has had its sides and bottom white washed you will have noticed that the water appears turquoise. This is even inside when there is no light to be reflected. So it is in the outside world – the true color of water is best seen from above. This beautiful shot from Minorca, below, illustrates this wonderfully.
What Lies Below
In terms of the visible spectrum, red and blue are complementary colors. So it is the blue that we see as we observe light passing through water to greater depths. The lower we go, the bluer it seems to get. When flashlights are used by divers then the ‘real’ colors emerge but anything at a distance of more than a few feet appears blue – even though it isn’t really. Jelly baby anyone?
Even people begin to take on an other-worldly look. Is this man (and woman) from Atlantis?
This color can be seen in deep snow and ice as the color scatters back. Likewise when a waterfall is frozen you can often perceive the water to be almost of a bluegreen hue as these colors are scattered back because of the deep penetration of light.
The color that we perceive can also be governed by what is in the water itself. Have you ever gazed at the sea, musing on life’s imponderables (that sounds like an oxymoron)? You may well have noticed that different parts of the sea are – or seem to be – different colors. This lovely shot from the Maldives clearly shows the sea as different colors. It can be caused by the presence of clouds and their associated shadow, but often it seems not to be the case (especially, of course on cloudless days). This happens because of what is actually in the sea and has nothing to do with what is above it. The picture of Liguria, in Italy, pictured below, perfectly shows the different hues of the sea.
Oceans and lakes usually contain a lot of particles suspended in the water. These are a combination of dirt and dead plants and animals. Living animals, too, because of their size can change the way we perceive the color of a body of water. As the water fails to absorb a lot of blue light, it hits these elements in the water and the blue light is reflected right back upwards. Tropical water and, say, the waters of the Atlantic look different to each other because in the tropics the color is due to the absorption of the red light, leaving only the blue visible to us.
The colors of Guadalupe can be seen here in this amazing wave. The Atlantic on the other hand has a blue which is caused by the suspension of countless numbers of plant, animal and dirt particles within it.
River Deep, Mountain High
Why do some bodies of water appear colors other than blue? Some look black or grey or even brown. Again, this is because of what is absorbed in the water. Muddy waters appear muddy because of sheer science. Mud reflects more red light than blue light and so when there is mud in water it looks brown. A lake full of peat will look black as peat absorbs virtually all the light that hits it. On a stormy day the sea will appear a grey color and, yes, that is partly to do with the color of the sky. It is also because the clouds filter out a great deal of the red light from the sun before it hits the water.
Wales is known as a wet country and this image shows the river Alyn in the north of this soggy but beautiful country in full flood. The water seems to have taken on an almost golden hue – and it is true they say it is in them there hills.
When a river becomes swollen due to rainfall or melting ice, the last color it will seem to be is blue. The dirt it gathers on its torrential flow to the sea makes it brown. The river Tiber in Italy, here seen swollen, became the scene of an unfortunate accident because of this.
We see water in a variety of ways. It may be colored by particles, the presence of bacteria, or by reflecting the world above its surface. Ice and snow may reveal a vivid internal blue such as the Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge in Oregon, above. Water itself has an intrinsic blue color that is a result of its molecular structure and its behavior. The blue bouncing back can be vividly seen here, as a pair of brace (foolhardy?) climbers venture up a waterfall in the Banff National Park in Canada.
Of course, the waters around Banff National Park are renowned for their turquoise color. This is due to the many particles of finely ground rock in the glacial melts. Lake Moraine, below is known for this icy blueness which almost hurts the eyes.
If you want to have a look for yourself at the natural and intrinsic color of water, you can do that fairly cheaply. Take a long pipe filled with purified water. So that the water doesn’t flood out when you look through it, cover each end with a transparent window. If you look down through the first of these windows at a piece of paper lit by natural sunlight you will see the pale blue color of water revealed. Above all, when it comes to water, remember to have fun!
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90 Responses to “The Color of Water”
On July 20, 2009 at 10:59 am
Nice and well thought article. I have asked about same question for sometime and I thank you fro providing answers. I must say comparatively speaking we are all like water. Our color sometimes varies according to the vessel we’re in and in common circumstances, the glass that contain us maybe so dark that we could hardly look upon ourselves.
Will
On July 20, 2009 at 11:27 am
Interesting article with good pictures.
On July 20, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Great post!
On July 20, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Wow, I love this one RJ. Great colors and a great question to be asked.
On July 20, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Awsome write. Thanks for tha read!
On July 20, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Great articles and pictures. Well done.
On July 20, 2009 at 1:42 pm
When I drove to Alaska the water colors there and in the Yukon where unbelievable due to the high mineral concentrations and midnight sun.
On July 20, 2009 at 3:10 pm
The Color of Water ..Great work!!..very interesting and well presented article..Nice pics too..I LIKED it..a must read..
On July 20, 2009 at 7:53 pm
beautiful pictures…me like a lot
On July 20, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Good job.
Thanks,
Clay
On July 20, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Water is one of the most important elements,and worth know this color descripton .
On July 21, 2009 at 4:23 am
Very interesting and great photos! Thank you.
On July 21, 2009 at 6:14 am
Hmmm…. fascinating. I’ve just always said it was clear. I’ve never even thought of these factors before. Thanks for an educational piece.
On July 21, 2009 at 1:31 pm
SE A AGUA TEM VARIAS CORES,
TAMBEM TEM VARIOS SABORES?
On July 21, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Very neat article and amazing photos!
On July 21, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Great photos, very informative article. A very interesting read indeed.
On July 21, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Woah! Nice article!!
On July 21, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Wow….fantastic article and the pictures complimented it perfectly.I have never thought about water in that aspect but glad I saw your article.
On July 21, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I like…nice article..great pictures…very good
On July 22, 2009 at 12:04 am
Very good article. Incredible question with an answer. I like the pictures. It might have taken you a lot of time to find them. Good pictures!
On July 22, 2009 at 12:11 am
Simple. Remarcible
On July 22, 2009 at 1:01 am
Nice, I liked the pictures, they added a lot to the text
On July 22, 2009 at 1:02 am
Great article with fantastic pictures. Well done.
On July 22, 2009 at 1:45 am
It’s true what I thought. Our readers are visual learners, every time an article with great content is backed up by a lot of high quality Images. It get on the hot content list and becomes famous.
BTW: Great Article and congratulations on all you’re success.
On July 22, 2009 at 4:01 am
great rticle
On July 22, 2009 at 5:17 am
Hey. Great article. It was short and to the point. Keep it up!
Have you heard about Bukisa? It’s a site that operates in pretty much the same way as Triond, except it pays slightly better. The two work well together. Why not join? You can publish articles on both sites at the same time. Here’s an invitation although it does amount to a tiny bit of revenue for me. I’m being honest. It’s a great site nonetheless. http://www.bukisa.com/join/22598
On July 22, 2009 at 10:57 am
that was nice!!!! it was long…lol but it was really interesting.
On July 22, 2009 at 11:19 am
As always spectacular article.
On July 22, 2009 at 11:24 am
I was just last week contemplating this topic with my partner and he still believes it is clear, but I follow that it is also blue tinged. Very interesting article!
On July 22, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Great article. I had always thought that the color was dependent on the color of the sky. Now I can use this to sound smart at parties
On July 22, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Great article. Very in depth and interesting. Keep those great articles coming.
On July 22, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This article is verry well written and very informative! Plus, the gorgeous photos make it interesting! Great job!
On July 22, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Great writing. Superb pictures. Overall an enjoyable and interesting read!
On July 22, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Very interesting article and the pictures are beautiful!
On July 22, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Wow! A very long article with lots of useful information! Visitors should love this type of info they find on this site thanks to you Rj!
The pictures are also amazing!
Well done!
On July 22, 2009 at 5:27 pm
This is incredible! Thanks for the content.
On July 22, 2009 at 9:10 pm
This is truly a beautiful article, made incredible and entising with photos.
Fantastic
On July 22, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Not bad.
On July 23, 2009 at 4:45 am
I thoroughly enjoyed the style you used in order to resolve the question, a tad degree of science, alot of common sense and well selected images to reinforce your analysis. Water is the one element that is common to all world wide so we all have an opinion about it. However, it’s also the one element that we all take for granted until the question is posed and we’re provoked into thinking about, exactly what is the colour of water? A very clever article my friend, you posed the question, albeit simple and then took us on the journey of resolve. I look forward to reading more articles from you in future.
On July 23, 2009 at 5:18 am
Yet another great article. Had no idea about the colour of water before. Actually I thought it was colourless but I guess nothing is colourless? I’m confusing myself now. Nice work R J.
RJ
On July 23, 2009 at 9:55 am
yeah very greatt….
On July 23, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Such an artistic idea to come up with — WATER… =) Keep up the good work!
On July 23, 2009 at 5:58 pm
very well writen article i will be expecting more
On July 23, 2009 at 8:37 pm
wow really great articall:Dnice pics too
On July 23, 2009 at 8:40 pm
article** :$
On July 23, 2009 at 10:12 pm
I agree with Chijohnwankwo. I’m off to have a w*nc . Thanks RJ . j
On July 23, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Great!
Liked it.
On July 23, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I like the article. Keep the good work!
On July 24, 2009 at 4:29 am
Great article. I love it. and the pictures are stunning too. Keep the good work!
On July 24, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Wow, I absolutely love the pictures!
On July 25, 2009 at 1:39 am
nice artical man.
On July 25, 2009 at 5:38 am
Unique, artistic and different writing as usual.
On July 25, 2009 at 11:55 am
hey, I like it too.
On July 25, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Wow, this is amazing photography.
On July 25, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Amazing article! I am speechless lol.
On July 25, 2009 at 3:46 pm
amazing article man. must have put tons of work into it? i can tell
On July 25, 2009 at 4:34 pm
incredible, bravo and well done mate
On July 25, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Great post, great pictures, great author. I must say i am very impressed at the moment.
On July 25, 2009 at 11:56 pm
very informative. . i like it. .
tnx dude
On July 26, 2009 at 6:10 am
goood
On July 26, 2009 at 2:14 pm
nice one, its worth reading.
Thanks buddy
On July 26, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Ineresting article RJ.
On July 26, 2009 at 2:49 pm
that was well cool and its intresting because it looked like it apealed to grown ups and i,13, also enjoyed it.
i think you should try to create booklets with this sort of infomation in them. it will be a big hit for sience and schools!
wow
luv mim…x
On July 26, 2009 at 2:50 pm
That was well cool and its intresting because it looked like it apealed to grown ups and i,13, also enjoyed it.
i think you should try to create booklets with this sort of infomation in them. it will be a big hit for sience and schools!
wow.
luv mim…x
On July 26, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Very nice article i enjoyed it much
On July 27, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Lovely article. Great work, and amazingly beautiful photos.
On July 27, 2009 at 10:26 pm
phenomonal, very well thought out and i’m sure it took quite a while. great job. love the photos. Dont you find it intriguing how water is the ultimate giver and taker of life?
On July 27, 2009 at 11:18 pm
This is really, really good and I love the pictures. I believe it’s more than good … it’s exceptional!
On July 28, 2009 at 10:42 am
very nice comentari its interesting to me and mi brother
On July 28, 2009 at 8:17 pm
very good.
On July 29, 2009 at 2:42 am
pimp i never thought about it
On July 29, 2009 at 6:04 am
Oh, I liked this one too. I’m absolutely dreadful when it comes to science or anything related. So when i first saw that it was on scienceray I hesitated but I’m glad i read it. I didn’t get bored, i understood what you were talking about and I’m kind of young so really the pictures were quiet helpful.
It seems like a simple enough question. What color is water? A two year old could tell you that it’s blue, but then it’s clear when your looking at it in a glass. It explains it in an easy to understand way.
I’ll definitely read some more of your material.
thanks for the small lesson.
On July 29, 2009 at 6:06 am
The dentures looked a tad gross to me ha but i liked the pics
On July 29, 2009 at 11:34 pm
An amazing article and photos. Thank you so much for sharing it.
On July 31, 2009 at 4:59 am
nice…
On July 31, 2009 at 6:54 am
Great articles and pictures. Well done!
On July 31, 2009 at 7:02 am
well….Speechless…amazing images i ever surf on net….well done…!!! Somhow visit to http://www.bookmytrip.in/ to get budget hotel booking in India, online hotel reservation that will match your budget…!!!!
On July 31, 2009 at 9:00 am
Very interesting article. A bit on the long side, however, the photos more than made up for the length of read.
On July 31, 2009 at 11:34 am
Beautiful pictures!
On July 31, 2009 at 2:09 pm
beautiful pics
On July 31, 2009 at 2:11 pm
This is an awesome article. Its very informing. And I love the pictures, they’re very cool.
On July 31, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Ohh great! the writing contain the Scientific facts and the matching pictures.I appreciate it.Excellent!!
On July 31, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Pretty pictures – I enjoyed the article. Look forward to more.
Louis
On July 31, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Great Article and photos on the color of water!
On July 31, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Great article. Luv the pics!
On August 1, 2009 at 2:47 am
Great Article and luv those picture but isn’t Color spelt like
C O L O U R >?
On August 1, 2009 at 5:01 am
Great article, never thought of the colour of the sea like this. The pictures are awesome
On August 2, 2009 at 5:55 am
Ww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a beautiful, energetic, vigorous article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On August 2, 2009 at 3:35 pm
RJ- Very nice, edifying as well as amusing. I had no idea that water was inherently blue. I’m currently working on an article about the substance sometimes pedantically call dihydrogen monoxide, but I won’t be infringing on your work because my piece focuses on the physical properties of water. I must add that I would love to visit the places depicted in the photographs.
Thanks for an enjoyable read. RB
On August 26, 2009 at 12:12 am
Lucky me, I have visited some of those places, namely those in Banff National Park
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