THE OPEN SEA 



123 



blue, while the waters near the poles, in which 

 melted snow and ice are ingredients, appear 

 greenish-hued. The temperature of water also 

 has some effect upon the coloring, for certainly 

 the warmest waters are the darkest. And, too, 

 deep waters appear much bluer than shallow 

 ones. The bays and harbors and coast waters 

 generally look light-hued, possibly because of 

 the land waters brought down and mingled 

 with the sea, and also because of their reflecting 

 bottoms ; but chiefly because of their compara- 

 tive shallowness. 



The open sea on an average is about two miles 

 deep, and in spots it is probably five or six miles ; 

 but this depth, which should, and usually does, 

 give great body of coloring, is sometimes offset 

 by remarkable clearness in the water. Trans- 

 parency is, of course, dependent upon the mass 

 of particles held in the water, and in this 

 there is great inequality in the different sea 

 areas. It is said that the bottom can be seen in 

 the polar seas at so great a distance as seventy 

 fathoms down. How the bottom at that depth 

 may effect the coloring I am not able to say, but 

 in shallow bays and harbors there is no question 

 about the sea floor changing the coloring of the 

 water. It is well known that certain bays with 



Sea floor* 



