Why does the water look strange during a strong wind (Glint)?
The glint phenomena
Among other things, during strong winds, the water may look gray or otherwise strange in color. In this case, it may be a glint, i.e. the flickering of sunlight caused by the waves. Optically, it is a matter of directional reflection.
You can see the glint, e.g., in true-color images when the water surface reflects sunlight directly onto the satellite instrument. This situation is mostly due to a wave field raised by a strong wind in the appropriate direction. In this case, there seems to be a gray cover on the surface of the water, under which it can be difficult to distinguish the real features of water quality (see the first example below).
The glint is also recognized by a peculiar phenomenon in which the islands seem to leave long shadows in the downwind direction (see another example below). This is especially noticeable in lake areas. It is not an optical shadow area, but the effect of the island on the wave.
More information about the phenomenon can be found in English on NASA’s Earth Observatory website.
