THE OPEN SEA 
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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. Tow the bottom at that depth 
may effect the coloring Iam 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 floors. 
