Impact of Near-Surface Airflow Structure around Mechanical Breaking Waves on Inertial Marine Aerosol Dynamics

The contribution of inertial droplets to the overall air-sea fluxes induced by spray is not well understood. Despite significant progress in understanding the role of small passive particles through field and laboratory studies in the last two decades, there remains considerable uncertainty in estimating inertial droplet fluxes. This uncertainty arises from limited knowledge about the production and initial dynamics of inertial droplets.

This talk will present findings from two distinct experiments conducted at the University of Delaware's wind-wave flume. The first experiment measured the kinematics of inertial droplets generated from breaking waves with varying wave slopes and wave ages. The second experiment mapped airflow velocities and structure in the vicinity of the breaking wave through particle imaging velocimetry. Utilizing results from both studies, inertial droplet dynamics will be discussed including estimated slip velocities and droplet trajectories for varying droplet sizes and wind/wave conditions.