THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE BY PARTICLES FROM BUBBLES IN THE SEA
Abstract
Work was directed towards an evaluation of the quantity of electric charge that is separated at the surface of the sea. As the carriers of the charge are particles that arise from the sea by wind and wave action, it was necessary to determine first the flux of particles across the sea and the manner in which the particles originated. Then, laboratory studies were carried out to determine the sign and magnitude of the particle charge. The data from these two sep-ARATE INVESTIGATIONS WERE COMBINED TO OBTAIN AN ESTIMATE OF THE CHARGE SEPARATION BY THE WORLD OCEAN. Results indicate that a majority of the particles that arise from the sea evolve from bubbles that break at the sea surface. These particles come from both the bubble film and the breakdown of a jet which rises at high speeds from the bottom of the collapsing bubble cavity. The film drop flux was computed directly from a knowledge of the world ocean whitecap coverage. The flux of jet drops, on the other hand, was computed indirectly, first by assuming a steady state between the source and the sink of the jet drops and then by computing their fall-out rate by sedimentation, rain washout, and advection over the continents. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0257888
Entities
People
- Duncan C. Blanchard
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution