Nature 292, 138 - 139 (09 July 1981); doi:10.1038/292138a0

Surface viscosity of water

J. C. Earnshaw

Department of Pure and Applied Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK

The recent suggestion¹ that surface viscosity effects can arise from the molecularly diffuse nature of a fluid surface or interface has prompted this re-examination of data concerning capillary waves on the surface of water. Previous work² has shown that the propagation of such waves is not compatible with the predictions of accepted theory for a surface having no abnormal rheological properties. These apparent discrepancies can be resolved in terms of one of the surface shear viscosities predicted by Goodrich. The existence of such surface viscosities for pure water suggests that caution must be exercised in interpreting surface viscosities observed for surface films in terms of molecular structure of, or interactions within the films.

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