In this lesson, students will investigate absorption, reflection, and scattering of light in the deep sea and discover the concept of bioluminescence. As they proceed, they will learn that white light (visible light) is comprised of all colors of the spectrum, that the quantity of light decreases with increasing depth in the ocean, the quality of light changes with increasing depth, and that red light penetrates water the least and that blue light penetrates water the most. They will also learn that many ocean organisms are bioluminescent, why organisms bioluminesce, and that bioluminescent light is usually blue. In addition, students will learn about several bioluminescent animals through independent research.

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This resource is part of 'Ocean Explorer'

Publisher: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Explorer
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/