Diving depths

ORAL

Abstract

Many seabirds (gannets, pelicans, gulls, albatrosses) dive into water at high speeds (25 m/s) in order to capture underwater preys. Diving depths of 20 body lengths are reported in the literature. This value is much larger than the one achieved by men, which is typically of the order of 3. We study this difference by comparing the vertical impact of slender vs bluff bodies. We quantify the influence of wetting and of the geometry on the trajectory and discuss the different laws that govern the diving depth.

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Authors

  • Christophe Clanet

    LadHyX – Ecole Polytechnique – UMR 7646 du CNRS, CNRS, France, PMMH, UMR 7636 du CNRS, ESPCI, Paris, France & LadHyX, UMR 7646 du CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Palaiseau, France

  • Thibault Guillet

    Ecole polytechnique, France

  • Martin Coux

    ESPCI, France, PMMH, ESPCI, CNRS

  • David Quere

    ESPCI Paris, PMMH, ESPCI, Paris, and LadHyx, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, ESPCI Paris, Laboratory PMMH, PSL Research University, Sorbonne Universites, Universite Paris Diderot, ESPCI, France, PMMH, UMR 7636 du CNRS, ESPCI, Paris, France & LadHyX, UMR 7646 du CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Palaiseau, France