Aeration of upper ocean by breaking waves

先进的实验技术将被用来在实验室中产生破碎波，并研究单个破裂事件产生的气泡的浓度和大小。该项目旨在建立破碎波的全局参数--如频谱和全球陡度--与泄漏破碎器和由此产生的气泡羽流的局部参数之间的关系。将使用对最近巡航的详细海浪数据的分析来评估哪些海浪谱最适合实际条件，并考虑这将对溢出的破碎器携带的气泡造成的差异。伦敦大学学院进行的初步研究表明，波谱影响气泡羽流的尺寸分布，特别是在咸水中。目前，破碎器参数上升产生气泡的方法假定一个破碎器与另一个相同，初步工作表明这一假设是有缺陷的。由于这些气泡恰恰是二氧化碳转移最重要的气泡，这可能会对上层海洋与大气相互作用的预测精度产生重大影响。

Advanced experimental techniques will be used to generate breaking waves in the lab, and to study the concentration and size of air bubbles produced by a single breaking event. The project aims to establish relationship between global parameters of a breaking wave-- such as spectrum and global steepness-- with local parameters of a spilling breaker and of a resulting bubble plume. Analysis of detailed ocean wave data from recent cruises will be used to assess which wave spectra are most appropriate for real conditions, and to consider the difference that this would make to the bubbles entrained by spilling breakers. Preliminary studies conducted at UCL show that the wave spectra affects bubble plume size distribution, especially in salt water. At present, the way of parametrising bubble generation by breakers assumes that one spilling breaker is the same as any other, and the preliminary work shows that this assumption is flawed. Sincethese bubbles are precisely the ones that are most important for carbon dioxide transfer, this could have a major effect on accuracy of prediction of upper ocean interaction with the atmosphere.