Scientists have created a computer algorithm that can take an underwater photograph and automatically readjust its colors to compensate for the distorting effect of water on light. Researchers Derya Akkaynak and Tali Trebitz started work on the technology – called Sea-thru -- more than three years ago. Akkaynak told Business Insider via email that Sea-thru's mission is to enable huge, artificial intelligence-powered analysis of underwater images. The algorithm effectively adjusts underwater images to make them look like they were taken in broad daylight, making them easier for AI software to analyze. "On underwater images, AI methods generally perform poorly or inconsistently, because water degrades images too severely for automated analysis," she said.

Light behaves differently in water than it does on the surface -- and that behavior creates the blur or green tint common in underwater photographs as well as the haze that blocks out vital details. But thanks to research from an oceanographer and engineer and a new artificial intelligence program called Sea-Thru, that haze and those occluded colors could soon disappear. Besides putting a downer on the photos from that snorkeling trip, the inability to get an accurately colored photo underwater hinders scientific research at a time when concern for coral and ocean health is growing. That's why oceanographer and engineer Derya Akkaynak, along with Tali Treibitz and the University of Haifa, devoted their research to developing an artificial intelligence that can create scientifically accurate colors while removing the haze in underwater photos. As Akkaynak points out in her research, imaging A.I. has exploded in recent years.