Why? I eat sea grasses and algae (although juvenile green sea turtles will also eat crabs, sponges and jellyfish), which might be the reason I have the green-colored fat and cartilage that give me my name. This is largely because of some basic physics. The first pangs start early in December with the nostalgia rush I get upon spotting dinky net bags of mixed nuts for sale. Some phytoplankton species produce toxins that can kill fish, birds and mammals and cause human illness. Blue Palawan, Palawan Island: "Why does the sea colered green?" This makes the sea water blue. Sometimes I can get entangled in marine debris like fishing n… They can be used to monitor pollution and phytoplankton. The name of the green sea turtle is derived from the reptile's greenish-colored fat. It is lacking in a number of nutrients that lead to plant growth in other seas and oceans (causing that more familiar green-brown colour that is so unattractive), and as such it retains its wonderful blue hue. For example, scientists have worked out how to spot phytoplankton groups called coccolithophores and diatoms. They are important for coastal economies and native communities. Let’s look into the physics to understand this in a bit more detail. Here’s the breakdown: As humans burn fossil fuels, we add more and more greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide) to our atmosphere. I’m unique among my fellow sea turtle species—I’m one of the largest species of turtle andam the only turtle that is strictly herbivorous as an adult. But even more important is the biology, because the biggest impact on sea colour is made by tiny organisms called phytoplankton. However if it is deep enough, so that light cannot reflect off the sea floor, it appears dark blue. Scientists have been monitoring ocean colours from satellites since 1978. The desert regions of the ocean in the northern hemisphere are getting bigger. The more phytoplankton are floating about the world's oceans, the more carbon dioxide is sucked from the atmosphere. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Quick facts about these endangered marine reptiles! This mostly leaves the blues, which have shorter wavelengths. As you can see most of the endangered sea turtles species are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), thus international trade is prohibited amongst the 166 CITES member nations. We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! Another reason why the sea appears blue is because the water droplets of the sea act as a mirror and reflects the color of the sky. A glass of water that you pour from the faucet appears visible and colorlessbecause the light passes through it through with negligible obstruction. Most sunlight is scattered on the way down to the surface of the sea by particles in the air. So this is why plankton-rich water will look green to us. In the Eastern Pacific, a group of green turtles that have darker shells are called black turtles by … To illustrate why this happens, let’s look at a cross-section of the words that have been added to the Collins Dictionary this month. (Multiplayer isn't … Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Which, despite the negatives, saw a healthy increase in good-neighbourliness and kindness as demonstrated, for instance, by caremongering. Only then will we really know if the colour of the oceans has changed, and to what degree. They are the primary food source for zooplankton, tiny animals such as copepods, krill and jellyfish. Scientists may need to monitor the colour of the seas and oceans for more than 40 years. The post office remained Powellville until 18 Jun 1902, when the post office changed back to Green Sea. Well, the Mediterranean Sea is a little similar. For example, the Atlantic off the East Coast of the United States usually appears green. The matter is that the green is always there, but it's never there alone. Green turtle swimming underwater. Phytoplankton absorb electromagnetic radiation in the red and blue parts of the visible light spectrum. The chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light, but reflects yellow-green light. But about 10% is scattered back up out of the water and into the atmosphere, and potentially in the direction of a satellite, which measures what proportion is in the green or blue spectrum. However, when a water body is deep enough, it’s not easy for the light to pass through it and get reflected. "It is obviously more useful to be able to distinguish between the different phytoplankton types, as each of them play different functional roles in the ecosystem," says Stuart. Sand and silt carried into the sea from rivers, or kicked up from the seafloor by waves and storms, can affect the colours of coastal waters. What is left is either absorbed or scattered within the water. Water exchange is the delivery system of the nutrient supply for the world’s oceans and seas. All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. That’s one of the primary reasons why large bodies of water generally appear blue. Phytoplankton can multiply very rapidly in response to changes in their environment, such as temperature changes and sudden changes in nutrient levels. Besides, they are also nurseries for a variety of species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. As beautiful as they are, these images have a greater purpose. The Green Sea post office was established 15 Feb 1870, and after a decade of being discontinued and reestablished multiple times, Richard C. 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