Linda Smith, age 13, of Williamsport PA for her question:

What makes the oceans colored?

A glass of water glints and sparkles in the lights But it seems to have no color of its own. Actually, pure water has a faint blueish tint. There is not enough water in the glass to show it. But you can see the delicate blue cast in a sizeable swimming pool.

The watery ocean starts off with a blue tint. Its shining surface is also a mirror, It reflects the sky and the golden sunlight. It reflects the white clouds, the dark clouds and the gayly colored clouds of dawn and sunset. Starlight and moonbeams dance on it at night. R The colors of the ocean are endlessly changing with the changing sky. In certain places, seaweeds and minute algae add tones of brown, green or red. Along the shorelines, hidden shoals and rocks add blotches of brown and yellow.