Why is the Mediterranean so blue? 🏝
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Now that I put up a bikini shot for engagement (because, algorithms), let’s talk about science! I know, that’s what you were hoping for.
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The Mediterranean is a bit of a marine desert; it does not have enough nutrients, mainly phosphorus and nitrogen, to enable algae to grow (phytoplankton, if you want to be more of a nerd about it). Algae is what gives the Atlantic Ocean that “gross, I’m not going in” green-brown color.
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The only small openings that connect the Mediterranean to other bodies of water are the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. The latter is where most water rushes in and out of the entire Med Sea.
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As the Strait is pretty shallow, the water that rushes in is water from near the top of the Atlantic, which tends to be devoid of nutrients (normally found at the bottom), while the water that flows out from the Med underneath this top layer takes any excess nutrients out into the ocean with it.
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So now you know why the Mediterranean Sea is just so damn pretty!
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