Posted on 06/29/2007 1:57:31 PM PDT by blam
Found: The clearest ocean waters on Earth
12:38 29 June 2007
NewScientist.com news service
Catherine Brahic
As clear as the clearest lakes on the planet, salty as ocean waters, and roughly the size of the Mediterranean this, say researchers, is the clearest and most lifeless patch of ocean in the world. And it is in the middle of the Pacific.
"Satellite images that track the amount of chlorophyll in ocean waters suggested that this was one of the most life-poor systems on Earth," explains Patrick Raimbault of the University of the Mediterranean, in Marseille, France.
In October 2004, Raimbault and colleagues set out to study the remarkable patch of ocean water on a three month cruise called BIOSOPE that left from Tahiti in French Polynesia, passed by Easter Island and ended on the Chilean coast. Along the way, they sampled the water's chemistry, physics and biology.
Marc Tedetti, also from the University of the Mediterranean, was on the expedition to investigate the water's clarity. He was struck by the colour of the water, which he describes as closer to violet than to blue (see image, right).
Beautiful but barren
Tedetti returned having found "unequivocally" the clearest ocean waters on the planet. "Some bodies of freshwater are equally clear, but only the purest freshwater," Tedetti told New Scientist. "For instance, researchers have found equivalent measurements in Lake Vanda in Antarctica, which is under ice, and is really extremely pure."
At the clearest point of the south-east Pacific, near to Easter Island, Tedetti found that UV rays could penetrate more than 100 metres below the surface.
This correlates with Raimbault's chlorophyll measurements, which suggest the patch contains roughly 10 times less chlorophyll that is found in most ocean waters. Raimbault says the patch
(Excerpt) Read more at environment.newscientist.com ...
the deep blue cobalt of the deep water Caribbean like Batletts Deep or Cayman Trench was always some of my favorite water color
almost inky with foamy top....very contrasted...much more so than say green gulf or north atlantic water or the light blue of the Med or turquoise of the Adriatic..
don’t know Pacific as well granted
The clearer the water, the deader it is.
Photochemistry and Photobiology
Article: pp. 389397 | Full Text | PDF (108K)
Penetration of Ultraviolet Radiation in the Marine Environment. A Review
Marc Tedetti, Richard Sempéré
Laboratoire de Microbiologie Géochimie et Ecologie Marines, CNRS/INSU, UMR 6117, Centre d’Océanologie de Marseille, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
UV radiation (UVR) is a significant ecological factor in the marine environment that can have important effects on planktonic organisms and dissolved organic matter (DOM). The penetration of UVR into the water column is likely to change in the near future due to interactions between global warming and ozone depletion......snip
http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1562%2F2005-11-09-IR-733
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
I KNEW there was a “global warming” in there, LOL....just had to google it with his name....
I read that too...
God save plankton
AKA Liberal Utopia
Back in the 70’s, didn’t they say some of the Great Lakes were dead? I don’t recall hearing that they were sparkling clear though...
How about brown? Every time a cruiser goes by my lakefront cottage, the water roils from clear to brown.
I’m not buying that purple ocean color. It looks photoshop adjusted. It’s a shame nothing published can be trusted anymore.
English Channel is green and you can see the sand on the bottom.
I didn't know that but how does that explain the best diving spots in the world where the water is crystal clear but teeming with aquatic life?
and Mr. Crabs too!
Except for reefs, they aren't teeming with aquatic life, because warm water contains much less dissolved oxygen than cold water. And even coral reefs support many fewer organisms than, say, the North Atlanic. The fish tend to be more colorful, and the diversity is greater, and, of course, you can see them easier. But tropical waters are, for the most part, an aquatic desert. That's why all the best fishing grounds are in cold waters.
Thanks, I didn’t know that....
ROFL! I just snorted a bottle of Leinie's beer through my nose.
That's better than actually drinking a Leinie...
L
Are you kidding? Once you go Leinie, you’ll never crack a Heine(ken)! :-)
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