Enderts Beach and other Secluded Beaches

Why is it that some beaches have murky waters and others have beautiful, crystal-clear waters?

OK, so this may sound like a silly question, but I need to know. Why is it that some beaches have calm, crystal-clear waters and others don't? I mean, you take a beach on the Atlantic Coast and the water is a dark, murky brownish-green color, and of course, there are the waves.. Then you take a beach in the Virgin Islands and it's crystal clear, very blue, and the waters are pretty calm. I'm assuming it has something to do with the movement of the water, but I'm not sure. Could someone elaborate on this for me? Thanks.

Public Comments

1. Some of it has to do with what's under the water. If there is a lot of silt, waves or currents will stir it up and make the water murky. If it's mostly rock or coral, the water will stay pretty clear. Sometimes clear water, like in a mountain lake, indicates a lack of biological activity. Pollution is another major factor. Beaches on the Atlantic coast are murky largely because of the tremendous amounts of garbage and sewage that are dumped in the water. This promotes the growth of algae and bacteria that cloud the water. Temperature is another factor. Colder waters tend to be more clear, but there are lots of exceptions, like the water you mentioned in the Virgin Islands.
2. Algae can make the water murky. Cooler the water more algae can grow because more O2 in the water.
3. Madagascar used to be surrounded by beautifull clear water with fish Now it is surrounded by muddy water , The same happens all over the world our river 5 years ago was cristal clear ,there were songs about the cristaline waters ,today it is muddy People deforest on the mountain slopes ,then the soils are exposed and dry out with the sun,the rain washes the dust ,usually impregnated with agro chemicals into the rivers which carry it onto the Lagoons and river mouths. Where it eventually sinks to the bottoms ,these topsoils are much lighter than sand And easily become disturbed by movements of the waters .
4. Water's in the Caribbean (and warmer climates in general) are basically "dead". Water in more temperate climates have a lot of plant life. The chlorophyll is what causes the greenish tinge.
5. Good question! As others said...murkiness is particles in the water and they can be silt (mud) or algae growing in the water, or, usually, both. Places rich in nutrients (along a lot of our coastlines) tend to have a lot of algae in the water....and silt comes from rivers. Muddy/murky water at the beach is usually from a nearby river coming into the ocean, that is carrying erosional silt. Tropical beaches are often clear water because tropical water, in general, is often clear (except if you are near a river mouth...then it is just as silty as our coastlines). Tropical water is warm, and warm water floats on top of cold....so the cold water where the nutrients are (that grow algae) stays trapped down deep, away from the light. Thus tropical water is clear because the nutrients from the land runoff and animal and plant decay sink to a zone where they can't come back to the surface where the light is. In contrast, on our coasts, the water is cold, top to bottom, and the water can mix up to greater depth (not as much of a warm layer trapping nutrients down deep). Upwelling (as it is called) brings up these deep nutrients to make the algae grow and make the water murky but also makes everything grow! (fish, whales, etc). A lot of the tropical oceans are a virtual desert because of their nutrient-poor water.