Comparison of bubble plume data with foam measurements, gas flux data and aerosol measurements

Bubble clouds generated by breaking waves are thought to have an important impact on air-sea gas flux and aerosol production. In October and November, 2013, we performed sea state and bubble plume measurements within the HiWINGS experiment in the North Atlantic. We deployed the instruments attached on a floating spar buoy, collecting data during storms with wind speeds up to 35 m/s. To capture the details of the underwater bubble plumes, we had optical (under water bubble camera and whitecap camera) and acoustical (resonators and sonar) devices looking at bubble plume dynamics, and capacitance wave wires measuring wave height and frequency. The bubble camera, resonators and sonar provide an accurate overview on bubble plume vertical cross-sections.

We will present data relating the structure and statistics of bubble plumes to parameters such as sea state, gas flux, and aerosol production. In order to understand the effect of sea state on bubble plume structure, interpretation of plume depth variation in short wind waves and in swells (long waves) is needed. Other statistical correlations will involve the way whitecap size varies with bubble plume depth. Thus, looking at the behavior of plumes underneath whitecaps will allow us to understand the relationship between aerosol production and subsurface bubbles. We will present several ways of approaching this process. Our analysis will enable us to quantify how fluxes of gases and particles are influenced by the subsurface bubble plume structure.