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Light is called an 'electromagnetic wave' for historical reasons* in the following sense: It turned out that the effects of visible light and other radiation can be calculated using Maxwell's equations, which are also used to model the behaviour of electrically charged particles. This was an instant of a successful unification and it hasn't ...
- What Is Light
- Light Under Ocean Waves
- Eyes in The Twilight Zone
- What Colors Are Found in The Deep?
- What Color of Animals Do We Find there?
Light is energy traveling at the fastest speed in the universe through what are called light waves. Unlike ocean waves, light waves are electromagnetic energy. Like all electromagnetic energy, they have different wavelengths. Parts of a wave: 1. Crest – the highest point of a wave 2. Trough – the lowest point of a wave 3. Wavelength – the distance ...
Sunlight contains all of the colors of our visible spectrum— red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet (ROYGBV). When all of these colors are combined together, they appear white as white light. Each visible color has its own wavelength, or distance between two waves. Red light has the longest wavelength in the visible spectrum and violet has th...
Very little light from the surface penetrates between 200 and 1,000 meters, in what’s known as the dysphotic or twilight zone. Once we reach about 1,000 meters depth, light from above has disappeared entirely. This sunless realm is known as the aphotic zone. Light conditions affect how much both humans and organisms see. Some deep- sea organisms’ e...
The wavelength of light that reflects off an object is the color we see. For example, an object we see as red in white light appears that way because it reflects longer, less energetic red light waves. It absorbs the other colors (all of which are present in white light). Red and orange light waves have less energy, so they are absorbed near the oc...
Red and black animals are common in the deep ocean. At this depth, few, if any, red light waves reflect back to one’s eye. Since there is no red light available, red animals here will appear gray or black, making them nearly invisible to other organisms. This helps them evade predators when there is nowhere to hide. Why are so many deep-sea animals...
Solar radiation provides light for photosynthesis, which supports the entire ocean ecosystem. The energy reaching Earth from the sun is a form of electromagnetic radiation, which is represented by the electromagnetic spectrum (Figure 6.5.1). Electromagnetic waves vary in their frequency and wavelength.
A basic illustration of the depth at which different colors of light penetrate ocean waters. Water absorbs warm colors like reds and oranges (known as long wavelength light) and scatters the cooler colors (known as short wavelength light). Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.
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For a review of wavelength and wave frequency, see Wave and Wave Properties. Electromagnetic radiation occurs in packets of energy called photons. A photon behaves like a wave and also like a particle. Because it is both a wave and a particle, describing the behavior of a photon is very complex.
Sunlight warms the surface water where much oceanic life lives. Solar radiation provides light for photosynthesis, which supports the entire ocean ecosystem. The energy reaching Earth from the sun is a form of electromagnetic radiation, which is represented by the electromagnetic spectrum (Figure 6.5.1 6.5. 1).
People also ask
Why is light called an 'electromagnetic wave'?
Is light a wave?
Is light a wave or a trough?
How does sunlight affect the ocean?
How do different colors of light penetrate ocean waters?
Why do blue and violet light waves travel deeper in water?
Water in the open ocean appears clear and blue because it contains much less particulate matter, such as phytoplankton or other suspended particles, and the clearer the water, the deeper the light penetration. Blue light penetrates deeply and is scattered by the water molecules, while all other colors are absorbed; thus the water appears blue.
