The sea water at the New Jersey shore is not clear like in Bermuda for example...?

Question

is that solely because of pollution or are there other factors?

Answer 1

Strange as this may sound, it is because the water is cooler than in the Caribbean. The cooler water allows plankton, algae and other microbial marine life to grow. The warmer waters of the equatorial seas inhibit that growth.

Answer 2

Sad to say, but pollution is the biggest factor.
Water is not compressible, so it doesn't become more or less dense.
It can contain more or less particulate matter that affects its
clarity.
Also cooler water is able to retain more dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide, so there is more animal and plant life in cooler water.
I am old enough to remember when the Jersey ocean was very much clearer and cleaner than it is now.
I spent every summer there in the 50's.

Answer 3

There's also the factor that Jersey shore is colder water and so its denser and also the jersey shore isnt made up of the same ground composites as say bermuda or the bahama's. Pollution should only play a very small factor in the color of the water unless someone is dumping directy into it.