Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 01/06/2009 - 07:43
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

how did the blue iceberg become blue ??????????

                                student from lhs 

Wed, 01/07/2009 - 15:01

Jeff Peneston

I think I know parts of the answer.  First, water is actually slightly blue but we usually can’t see far enough through it to tell.  When I am in the Caribbean and the sunlight goes 5 meters through very clear water and reflects off of white sandy bottom sediments, it is a beautiful green-blue.  When sunlight penetrates the glacial ice and reflects back out or when it goes through the clear Antarctic water and reflects off the white ice surface under water it is brilliant blue.  Part of the answer is also because when all the rainbow colors (ROYGBIV) in sunlight penetrate water (or ice) some wavelengths are absorbed and scattered more easily and others (like blue) penetrate and reflect back to your eyes better.
I hope these parts of the answer help.
Take care,
…from the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica,
Jeff