green water

English

Noun

green water (uncountable)

1. (nautical) A large quantity of water on a ship's deck as a result of massive waves during a large storm.
   • “When green water started coming over the flight deck, you knew you were in water. The smaller ships like the destroyers and stuff had a terrible time. When a carrier takes green water that’s a good sixty feet above the water if not more, and its rough.” James Spence WWII Veteran describing June 5, 1945 typhoon, The Last Days of World War II, episode 7, The History Channel
2. (ecology) Water, mostly from rain, that replenishes the water lost by evaporation or respiration from forests.

References

• “Green Water and Wave Impact” Hazard Engineering Marine Service, Force Technology