Why do glaciers appear blue?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Dense ice absorbs red light
Sky reflection in ice — Wrong. Sky can reflect, but deep glacial blue comes from dense ice selectively absorbing red wavelengths, transmitting/scattering blue.
Cold temperature changes color — Wrong. Temperature doesn't change ice color. Blue appears because dense glacial ice absorbs red/yellow wavelengths more than blue.
Dense ice absorbs red light ✓ — Correct! Glacial ice is extremely dense (compressed over centuries). When light penetrates, the ice absorbs longer wavelengths (red, orange, yellow) but transmits and scatters shorter blue wavelengths. The thicker and denser the ice, the deeper the blue! Fresh snow appears white because air pockets scatter all wavelengths equally.