Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and
big on science. I'm Steve Sobieszczyk. Let's get right to it, today's question
is:
Why are glaciers blue?
Because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is
absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and
scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the more blue it appears.
And now you know. Join us again every weekday for a new
CoreFact. For other CoreFacts, or for CoreCast, our in-depth science podcast,
go to usgs.gov/podcasts. We are still happily accepting your science questions,
so if you're curious about something that we can answer, send us an email at corefacts@usgs.gov or leave a voicemail at
703-648-5600, long distance fees apply.
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A CoreFact is a weekly audio podcast from the USGS that asks and answers a natural science question. When you subscribe to CoreFacts, episodes will be automatically downloaded to your computer as soon as they're available.
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