22
August 2002
Physical oceanography: Bubble wrap
Breaking waves are important for a variety of disciplines, including global climate change. A key factor in the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere is the production of the bubbles of air that form the whitecaps characteristic of the ocean waves. A comprehensive picture of bubble creation in breaking waves is now presented, based on measurements taken from high-speed video images in the laboratory and from observations in the open ocean. The size distribution of bubbles is found to be controlled by two different mechanisms of formation and breakup, in line with theoretical predictions.
Scale dependence of bubble creation mechanisms in breaking
waves
GRANT B. DEANE & M. DALE STOKES
Nature
418, 839–844 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature00967
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Physical oceanography: Inside whitecaps
MARK
LOEWEN
Innovative experiments have provided new insights into how bubbles
are created by breaking waves. These findings might ultimately lead to more accurate
models of global climate.
Nature 418, 830 (2002); doi:10.1038/418830a
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