A team of scientists from four countries have set out on a seafaring expedition to discover what color the Atlantic Ocean is.

Around a third of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities is absorbed by microscopic algae in the sea. This process gives the waters a greenish hue as algae blooms close to the surface flourish.

But satellite images in recent years have shown large aerosol clouds forming above the oceans, particularly in the southern part of the Atlantic. They increase the amount of the sun's rays reflected away from the sea, reducing the amount of algae and therefore lessening the water's greenish hue.

The team hope to gain more accurate measurements of what is happening than those taken from satellites that may be distorted by strong winds or waves.

目前，一只四国科学家小组已经开始远洋航行，去研究大西洋到底是什么颜色。

由于人类活动而排放出的二氧化碳，有1/3会被大海中的微小藻类植物所吸收，这会造成藻类的大量繁殖，从而让海水变成偏绿色。

但是，近年来拍摄的卫星图片显示，在海面上，尤其是大西洋南部地区，形成了大型气溶胶云层。气溶胶云层增加了海平面反射的太阳光线，让藻类无法大量繁殖，从而让海水看起来不那么绿。

调查小组希望通过此次航行，能够测量到更为准确的数据，而不是可能因强风和巨浪而发生扭曲变形的卫星图片。