Chapter 1: A Childhood Inquiry

During my childhood, I was captivated by science, particularly during a lesson on storms and weather phenomena.

“California doesn’t experience many storms,” my teacher noted with a serene smile, her blonde bob swaying slightly. “We are blessed with clear blue skies most of the year.”

Her words sparked a question in my young mind. I raised my hand with curiosity. “Why is the sky blue?”

She beamed as if anticipating this inquiry and asked us to refer to our textbooks. On one page, there was an illustration resembling this:

Photo by Lisa Abiven on Unsplash

“The sky appears blue,” she explained, “because it reflects the ocean’s color.”

Most of my classmates nodded in agreement, likely accepting the idea since we lived near the Pacific. However, I was puzzled.

I queried, “Then why is the sky blue in places like Wyoming, where there’s no ocean?”

My teacher replied with patience, “More than seventy percent of our planet is covered with water.”

She seemed to think that was the end of the discussion and moved on to clouds. Yet, I couldn’t understand how Wyoming's sky could relate to the Pacific Ocean, located miles away.

“So, the sky is blue because the ocean is blue?” I asked again.

“That’s correct, Carrie,” she acknowledged.

“Then why does the ocean appear blue? The color must originate from somewhere, right?”

In response, a larger boy turned around, seemingly irritated, and declared, “The ocean is blue because the sky is blue.”

Laughter erupted as my classmates echoed his words, creating a playful rap on the spot—a clever feat, considering rap had yet to emerge.

The sky’s blue (clap, clap) because the ocean’s blue.

The ocean’s blue (clap, clap) because the sky’s blue.

Photo by Dave on Unsplash

That moment marked my first encounter with circular reasoning.

Today, this memory resurfaced, prompting me to search online: “Why is the sky blue?”

To my surprise, it turns out the explanation isn’t simply that the ocean is blue.

My instincts were right all along.

A quick summary from Bard AI clarified: The sky appears blue due to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. This occurs when sunlight is scattered by tiny air molecules, with blue light scattering more than other colors due to its shorter wavelength.

Thus, we typically observe a blue sky. In contrast, the ocean’s blue arises from water molecules absorbing more red light than blue, reflecting blue light back to our eyes.

So, while both the sky and the ocean may look blue, the reasons for their color are distinct. The sky's hue is a result of Rayleigh scattering, while the ocean's color stems from its interaction with light.

Photo by Brian Asare on Unsplash

When Bard mentioned that water is blue, I wondered if it was having one of its quirky moments.

I asked, “Is water blue or clear?”

Bard responded, “Water is both blue and clear. Pure water has a subtle blue tint due to how its molecules scatter light, but in small quantities, it appears colorless. It’s only in large bodies of water, like oceans or lakes, that we see its blue hue.”

Bard continued, explaining that the blue color can be influenced by other elements, such as phytoplankton, which can add a greenish tint, or minerals that can alter the water’s appearance to shades like brown or yellow.

Thus, water can be both blue and clear, with its color influenced by various factors, including depth, additional substances, and lighting.

Further investigation confirmed Bard's insights.

Great job, Bard! You’ve earned a break.

Feel free to share your thoughts!

Chapter 2: The Science Behind Color

The first video, "Why Is the Sky Blue?" explores the scientific principles behind this captivating phenomenon, detailing Rayleigh scattering and its effects.

The second video, "Why is the sky blue?" provides an engaging explanation of the factors that contribute to the sky's color, including atmospheric conditions and light behavior.