Why is SF bay water green?

What makes the water appear green are lots of microscopic marine algae called phytoplankton. These photosynthetic organisms contain the same chlorophyll that makes plants green. Though they're tiny, phytoplankton represent the largest biomass in the bay.



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The brown in the Bay Waters is largely a plume of sediment, the raw material necessary to rebuild wetlands and maintain their health. That sediment, though, is mixed up with pollutants — toxic mercury from old mines, Lester McKee, a scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute tells News Group.

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The San Francisco Chronicle states, “Our beloved bay isn't known as a swimmer's destination.” However, the Bay Area offers many places to swim in the open water. Areas to swim include: Keller Beach, Richmond. Berkeley Marina, Berkeley.

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The bay is actually only as deep as a swimming pool. Heck, between Hayward and San Mateo to San Jose it averages 12 to 36 inches. So much for that bridge! With that said though, the water surrounding Alcatraz is on the deeper end of the scale, but still, it's just an average depth of 43 feet.

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