Why was the waves at my beach have green foam?

Question

I went swimming at Sea Bright in New Jersey. The waves had this green foam to them, and the salty smell was over powering. Because of the proximity to the mouth of the Hudson River, can this be effecting the water? How clean are these waters? If it is not something caused by the river, what would cause this? Will it always be like this in this area?

Answer 1

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/inde...

I think this might help you...

Answer 2

I am actually from the Sandy Hook area in New Jersey.  I think this was the result of a special set of conditions including pollution and water quality.  The water has been very churned up lately due to Bertha so I think that had something to do with it.  Also I think pollutants had something to do with it mostly because there is pollution in all water, and yes it was most likely coming from the hudson river and bay.  There is also a lot of dumping htat occurs offshore as well as the pollution from the land itself.  It also was probably due to the tide conditions that let what ever pollutant it was build up a bit....

the good thing is that it wont always be like that in the area but will vary depending on local conditions...

Answer 3

When you look at the ocean or describe it you would say that the water is blue, tourquiose or aqua.  Realistically though this is not true.  If you put the water in a clear glass the water is clear.  The color of the ocean water can come from a variety of different sources that add up to formulate what your eyes think are the color of the water-blue. The algea at the bottom as well as the way the sun and the blue sky reflect off of the water are the biggest contributing factors to what gives the ocean it's colors.  water can get muddied if the bottom of the ocean or river is unclean with toxins or waste.

Answer 4

Algal blooms. Too much nitrogen from human wastes or fertilizer run-offs.