Most icebergs are white. The reason is the story of how these giants have emerged: The ice of the icebergs has been formed in the glaciers out of compressed snow. Because of air bubbles, which are trapped in the ice, the light is scattered strongly in many directions. If an iceberg, which contains many air bubbles and which is illuminated by light, the scattering to the air bubbles ensures that the light beams are mixed strongly. The effect of mixing and diversion is a glaring white iceberg. Each color corresponds to a different wavelength. The larger the wavelength, the more light is absorbed by the ice. Frozen water acts like a faint color filter: The icebergs appear blue because red, orange, yellow and green light is swallowed inside the iceberg. This color effect is called selective absorption. The reason lies in the structure of ice crystals: the chemical bonds in the crystal lattice absorbs the light to different degrees depending on their wavelength - how exactly will depend on the number of oscillations of the bonds and is still under investigation. Photos from the blue ice seem to be almost always manipulated, the strong blue color on site exceeds all expectations and can hardly be shown in any photo at all. Link to gallery >>>
