Where do those mesmerizing beautiful blue colors in Yellowstone’s pools come from?
What’s behind the magnificent clear blue of Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin? Or those gorgeous milky blues in the namesake features of Norris Geyser Basin’s Porcelain Terrace?
Some fraction of light that hits the surface of the pool is reflected back off the water’s surface, but let’s consider what happens to the light that enters the pool. Just as various molecules in the atmosphere absorb light, water in liquid form absorbs light as well. The red, orange and yellow end of the visible light spectrum is absorbed more strongly than blue light.
Additionally, the longer the distance the light has to travel through the water, the more absorption there will be. Maybe you’ve noticed this if you’ve ever been swimming in the ocean—as you go deeper the world becomes a palette of washed-out blues.
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