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Surface tension effects in breaking wave noise.

Grant B Deane1

  • 1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0238, USA. gdeane@ucsd.edu

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|August 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Surface active materials in the sea surface microlayer reduce underwater wave noise by altering bubble oscillations. This finding impacts the accuracy of wind speed estimates derived from ambient ocean noise.

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Area of Science:

  • Ocean acoustics
  • Surface chemistry
  • Fluid dynamics

Background:

  • Breaking waves generate underwater noise, primarily attributed to bubble oscillations.
  • The sea surface microlayer (SSML) contains surface-active materials that can influence air-sea interactions.
  • Previous studies have not fully elucidated the role of SSML surfactants in modulating wave noise production.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of surface active materials in the SSML on underwater noise generated by breaking waves.
  • To quantify the effects of reduced surface tension on bubble oscillation and acoustic radiation.
  • To assess the impact of these effects on wind speed estimation using ambient noise.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical consideration of bubble formation and oscillation dynamics within breaking waves.
  • Analysis of surface tension effects on bubble fragmentation and acoustic excitation.
  • Modeling the impact of surfactant-induced surface tension reduction on ambient noise-based wind speed algorithms.

Main Results:

  • Surface tension forces drive bubble oscillations, producing underwater noise.
  • Fluid turbulence within whitecaps re-fragments bubbles, reducing low-frequency noise (<1000 Hz).
  • Reduced surface tension decreases bubble excitation amplitude, lowering overall noise levels.

Conclusions:

  • Surface active materials in the SSML significantly influence underwater wave noise characteristics.
  • The reduction in noise due to decreased surface tension has a minor impact on wind speed estimation accuracy (< ±1 m s⁻¹ for winds < 10 m s⁻¹).
  • Understanding SSML properties is crucial for accurate ocean acoustic modeling and remote sensing applications.