Why Is Water Blue? | Forces Of Nature | BBC Earth Science

The glacieral waters of Iceland are so pure that they are perfect for understanding why water is blue. With such good visibility, professional diver Ted Whittnal can see the importance of photons and light at different depths of the ocean.
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[@Danin4985]

This is why many deep ocean creatures tend to be red colored. They become less visible. Many of them are also as transparent as possible to avoid predators.

[@JayMillyPowerKingdom]

and why they look better cooked too like shrimp lobsters idk I think there is something beautiful in the our world has to be other worlds like ours

[@Danin4985]

@@JayMillyPowerKingdom What we generally get in the supermarket are not deep sea creatures. Though shrimp and lobsters do turn red after cooking. That red color has nothing to do with the color the deep sea creatures have when they are alive.

[@lornalong6468]

It is not only deep water that reflects blue. I was always enchanted by the colour of ice and you don't need large glaciers or big chunks of ice to see the effects. Take a look at photos of Sweden's Ice Hotel and you will see the clear ice carvings, blocks of ice & chandeliers reflect blue. When you look at these carved ice rooms, they mostly look white to the naked eye. But when you take a video or photograph they reflect far more blue, especially where the ice is clear as opposed to 'frosted'. I would think there is less 'photon vibration' in ice absorbing red & yellow wavelengths and the little pieces of carved ice chandelier do not require a 'depth of water' to return the blue colour. Our atmosphere reflects blue back to us on earth on a clear sky day, even though we know the depths of space beyond are pitch black. Interesting & beautiful.

[@concero]

Thank you, I have used the solar eclipse and why is colour blue information to form the concept for a song.

[@wmarclocher]

Okay, so red is absorbed by the water, that still leaves green and blue of the primary emitted colors and since our eyes are twice as sensitive to green (having twice as many cones in our retinas) why wouldn't the water look green? Or did I miss something?

[@RichardCarter-y4m]

There might also be a second process happening involving the remaining outer electron of the oxygen atom. This absorbs energy and re-emits it as blue. For example, sunsets are red, at least some of the time, because through the process of Rayleigh scatter blue is absorbed, and re-emitted in all directions including back towards the sun, such that only the longer wavelengths get through.

[@Pops-km8xt]

Green is not a primary color.

[@wmarclocher]

@@Pops-km8xt I would agree with you if we were talking about reflected colors, but with emitted colors the primaries are Red, Green and Blue; as all other emitted lights are a combination of these, which is why early crt monitors only had green blue and red phosphor on them

[@hieratics]

​@Pops-km8xt blue, red and GREEN are primary colors in addictive color model when talking about light. Yellow, Magenta (not red) and Cyan (not blue) are primary colors in the subtractive color model when talking about printing and painting.

[@techcafe0]

@@Pops-km8xt In physics, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) are the primary 'additive colours' for emitted light; whereas, Cyan-Magenta-Yellow (CMY) are the primary 'subtractive' colours for reflected light. The How Stuff Works website has a very good explanation about light and how we see colours. Search for "Primary Colors Are Red, Yellow and Blue, Right? Not Exactly" on Google.

[@Ellygator]

Interesting to see the colors vary with depth, thanks for the documentary.

[@LoneWombat2126]

That crystal clear water looks amazing and absolutely tranquil. I truly hope it will stay this pristine forever without tourists ruining it. I will say, however, that you still didn’t really explain why water is blue. 🤷‍♀️

[@zaingujjar4854]

watch again she did vey beautifully

[@wladdenko5812]

Thanks, good explanation

[@fatoucarriekinney5823]

Some languages don’t have a name for blue. Languages that do have a name for blue also have 4 others: dark/black, light/white, red, and yellow or green.

[@Santosh32142]

Great explanation thank you, bcz she is perfect in Blue no matter science whatever say...

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

0:23 precipitations 0:38

[@madcow3k]

So there are different color photons? I thought a photon was a photon and the eye receptor changed based on the wavelength (rods and cones). Does she mean the red wavelength gets swallowed up, and maybe the density of the water changed the speed of the wavelength further to the point of bending the red out? Interesting vid. Thanks.

[@NPJGlobal]

The photon's energy level makes the "color", but yeah a photon is still a photon

[@johnleos1687]

Great explanation, I get it! Water absorbs/filters out light color but BLUE gets through the filters! Another interesting video! Keep up the great work! Enjoy these interesting videos 🤠🇺🇸

[@lornalong6468]

It has to do with the different wavelengths of each colour, refraction & reflection back to our eyes. It's like a diamond can appear clear in colour but according to the angles of the facets the wavelengths break up (refract) and reflect individual colours back out of the diamond due to the individual angles of the facets of the diamond. Thus you see colours & white light when you look at a diamond & twirl it around. A prism shows that clearly. White light goes in, coloured refracted light emerges as a rainbow of colours the other side of the prism.

[@johnleos1687]

@@lornalong6468 Excellent examples, thank you for sharing the knowledge. 😃

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

Notes 📝: 0:17 0:18 all the rainbows plural 0:31

[@teej4743]

Ohhh I see in the wide array of colors the photons that make up the color blue doesn’t fade out as the rest no matter how deep water goes down and penetrates and so when seen from above ⬆️ the blue photons are still visible way way way up even into space and that’s why water 💦 appears as blue because outta all other colors of the beautiful spectrum of light it never fades out and never dissipates! Wow that’s absolutely amazing, what an amazingly awesome-inspiring almighty God I am so blessed to know and worship! - Romans 1:20💙🩵💙🩵💙🤍

[@skorpnikusclaw9516]

Why is this an edited version of the one with brian cox of 2016? Some shots are literally the same! Which is the original?

[@memyselfyo8844]

Can’t this be explained using the same rationale used for why the sky is blue, I.e Rayleigh scattering? Vibgyor, or violet blue green yellow orange and red comprise the rainbow, or visual light spectrum. The colors that any medium doesn’t absorb, are re radiated outwards, giving said medium its color. The sequence is from low wavelength to higher, which is why at sunset, when the suns rays traverse a greater relative distance , the sun now appears orangish.

[@SurprisedDivingBoard-vu9rz]

UV amount.

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

0:12 space the blue because it is iconic Jennifer 0:28

[@containedhurricane]

So, there are lives in other blue planets? Since the color indicates water

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

But that’s true Jennifer hard Erica Barrera lay hands on me that’s Ana Gallardo may spelled it wrong and so if it’s a location it’s like fiction but no that’s just as atheistic 0:49 t shirt sold twice in a location the pytha of the gorean 0:49

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

0:30 color of frank ness to tears to color of planet 🌍 0:48

[@jondoeami]

Who else was today years old when they learnt of this

[@johnfaulders9880]

Is this Silfra?!

[@BrownyBird]

Simply right? Well I didn't bloody get it 😅

[@Ellygator]

maybe it was absorbed, try going back to surface

[@Ellygator]

well, to simplify, water eats the red color first, then you go a little deep, the lower water has no red to eat. So, it eats the remaining colors in this order : ROYGBIV in the end, Blue, Indigo and Violet remain. That's why some seas appear turquoise , some blue and some deep green

[@kotastrophie]

Why is grass green

[@yahyandebele175]

Because it's not blue

[@aldn.x]

Chlorophyll in chloroplasts

[@ariespinal]

Aaaaa ok

[@neilmanx1001]

So red is absorbed by water and blue is not and that's why water is blue?. still not clear...

[@Ellygator]

Fish can absorb air from water. But they do not absorb water. Hence you can only see water and not air. Does this help? Absorb means it is 'eaten'. You only see what's not eaten.

[@MM-we4no]

@@Ellygatoryour example made the situation worse. Please find better ways of explaining

[@devrim-oguz]

So, the water knows where it is because it knows where it isn’t

[@Ellygator]

LoL, nice quote, I understood that reference

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

So you went there and it looked better than it ever looked pronounced and then talked about special powers you and Peter 1:29

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

2:10

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

1:05

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

Vallley forge 3:50

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

Hi nice to meet you 3:50

[@chamberlainpwc]

Yes, and the thermal pools at Yellowstone are various colors because… ouch my brain..

[@MM-we4no]

Lol those ones are due to deposits of minerals. Deep blues are due to copper; yellow pools likely have sulphur in them

[@PM18Alumni]

😮😮😮😮😮

[@terryadkins9831]

The blue from the sky reflection on the water, next question please

[@growingmelancholy8374]

Water is actually neon tan.

[@Al-cynic]

Your assuming that people would realize that the blue saturates the water column more and more as the other colours are absorbed, that is obvious to someone trained to think scientifically, not to a lay person. Thus; this is a very poor educational video, did the person make it to feel superior or something. i've had better explanations of unevidenced string theory nonsense from profoundly conceited physicists.

[@tommyfrerking]

You didn't explain this at all. You started with a ROYGBIV scale, explained red and assumed we'd just get the rest. If you were a teacher I'd give you an F grade.

[@PeterArnold1969]

I think it was perfectly explained. You might want to go back and watch it again. The scientific explanation starts at the 2:00 minute mark.

[@plsdont7515]

Found the retard

[@neumagellan4519]

It was clearly explained. You failed to comprehend the lesson. Don't blame the teacher for a failure on the part of the student.

[@o1ecypher]

Better yet, why is water wet?

[@Ellygator]

Because it's not dry yet

[@EyesOfByes]

"Red photons"

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

Sniffs nose 2:21

[@jenniferlaflora3293]

Shoe on 2:29

[@latemr6186]

Water is blue because there’s no one in there

[@Hozebeast]

Clear as mud. Still don’t get it

[@naturelife-forms]

Ohh! It is as easy as that

[@reinhardt3090]

This video sucks, it wastes time with music and dramatics and doesn't justify itself being 4 minutes.

[@wbbartlett]

That comment sucks, it wastes time with whining and words and doesn't justify itself being posted.

[@growingmelancholy8374]

@@wbbartlett Thank you for criticizing your own comment.

[@Marshallak2024]

Water is clear

[@RR-in7do]

"looks blue"

[@oowaz]

bro water is not blue lmao

[@Iowrider714]

You're slipping BBC. You didn't wedge in any Climate Change propaganda in this one. Tsk, tsk. 😆

[@Al-cynic]

Get a Brian you Moran.

[@skorpnikusclaw9516]

​​@@Al-cynic you mentioned brian. Did you do it on purpose?......i just saw the one with brian cox (2016).....and some scenes are literally the same shot! In his doc HE is the diver with the red suit, not Ted! Its like it is the same doc but edited with different people!....i dont understand this.

[@BUY_YOUTUB_VIEWS.304]

Well done on every video!