On the Beach: Sea Foam

 

 To make up for disrupting power supply for three days, the recent winter storm generated a massive amount of sea foam and drove it ashore on Monday. It was a spectacular natural event resulting in what was variously described as soap suds, whipped cream, cotton wool and souffle, depending on one’s imagination, and varied in colour from dirty brown to shades of yellow to pure white. On Tuesday it was all gone.

There is an informative article on Wikipedia, which describes and explains the phenomenon, and is well worth reading. Here is an extract:

Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids) derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms.^[1] These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the surfactants under these turbulent conditions trap air, forming persistent bubbles that stick to each other through surface tension.

Sea foam is a global phenomenon,^[1] and it varies depending on location and the potential influence of the surrounding marine, freshwater, and/or terrestrial environments.^[2] Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beach face inland.

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