Red sunrises and sunsets over the oceans may be produced by light ____.
A) scattering by small suspended salt particles
B) diffraction by water molecules
C) reflection off water molecules
D) refraction by small suspended salt particles

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Red sunrises and sunsets over the oceans are caused by light scattering. The scattering occurs when small suspended salt particles and other aerosols in the atmosphere scatter sunlight in all directions. This scattering process is called Rayleigh scattering, which causes the blue colors to scatter more than the red colors, thus allowing the red colors to become more visible in the sky.

Red Sunrises and Sunsets Over the Oceans May Be Produced