Surely more than once you have gone to the beach and watched the waves. You have noticed that sometimes there are more Sea foam than normal and sometimes not. What is this about? Sometimes, it is possible that several factors combined can cause the waves to barely reach the shore with foam, while other times there is so much foam that it looks like the water in the washing machine.
In this article we are going to explain to you what are the factors that make sea foam more abundant or not.
Sea foam and factors
Meerschaum is similar in appearance to beer. Surely you have heard more than once that when the water is foamy it is that it is dirty. This is also very common to hear and is something that is related. There are no major differences in the composition of the different marine waters that we are in the seas and oceans. Therefore, the foam has another reason for being.
These are air bubbles that appear when the water is stirred by the wind. If we have a strong swell as a result of the high speed with which the wind blows, it is very likely that the water has a lot of foam. On the contrary, if we go to the beach and the water is calm, we will only see some foam when the wave breaks on the shore. If you want to check this at home, just shake a glass of water with a spoon and you will see that, the harder you are shaking, the more foam or bubbles you will see. Foam as such you will not see it with tap water, but you will see stirring bubbles.
The lower the sea temperature, the longer the foam remains. It is not a prime indication, since it depends on many other factors, but you can get an idea of how the water will be depending on the foam it has. This is because the gases will not escape into the atmosphere in the same way or with as much speed as when the sun heats up.
Anecdote of a sparkling day
Due to this that we have mentioned about the temperature, there is an anecdote that occurred in 2014 on the day of retes in Galicia. The waves reached a height of about 10 meters high, so the wind that was blowing made it very strong. To such was the point that the waves were very strong, the sea rough and the temperature very low, that the amount of sea foam that was released covered several tens of kilometers.
Although it is simply foam, this event produced beautiful sunsets and quite a beautiful event. If it was at a much higher ambient temperature, this could not have happened, since the gases that make up the bubbles would have gone into the atmosphere much earlier due to the action of temperatures. Let's not forget that warmer air is less dense, so it tends to rise and be replaced by cooler air.
Other factors that form sea foam
Another factor that contributes to sea foam is obviously organic pollution. Spills that are loaded with fertilizers, detergents, and compost are perfect for generating a large amount of foam and with much less agitation than natural foam. When a water contaminated with these chemicals are stirred by the waves, usually cause large amounts of foam. The duration of the same, again depends on the environmental temperature, the water temperature and the concentration of pollutants at that time. It is the same as pouring dishwasher into a glass of water at home and stirring it with a spoon. Depending on the concentration of dishwasher, more or less foam will be made.
On the other hand, the presence of different organic pollutants in the water creates a proliferation of numerous microorganisms that make the waters more dense. As these microorganisms multiply, chemicals from their metabolism are added. This makes the foam stay longer (altering the surface tension of the water). In addition, when these chemicals alter the resistance that the water has that the gases do not leave the liquid part, it causes that there is not a good oxygenation in the environment. By not having enough oxygen in the water, many of the living things that inhabit it are harmed and damaged.
All these conditions mean that, negatively, the marine ecosystem is completely damaged. This is how pollutants negatively affect water.
Cases today
These conditions happen numerous times in Australia. When this happens, the beaches are covered in foam for quite some time. This foam is caused by excessive and organic pollutants. If we compare the foam of the Galician case with that of Australia, we can see that the appearance is different. While that of Galicia is seen to be more natural, the one in Australia looks like foam from when we look at the washing machine while washing clothes.
As a curiosity, there is a mineral in the world known as sea foam. This name has been given due to its white color and resemblance to foam. Formerly this mineral was used for the construction of smoking pipes. Se is a variety of sepiolite and is quite useful when there is an oil spill into the sea. This is due to its high absorbent properties that can retain much of the spill and then extract it. It is as if we used a sponge when spilling something on the floor to absorb the liquid. It also helps that the same oil does not reach the bottom of the sea, wreaking havoc on the flora and fauna present.
As you can see, sea foam has its origin and explanation. In this way, when the next time you go to the beach you see that the sea has a lot of foam, you can better analyze the reason for it.
All of these are excuses to please the politicians, the reasons mentioned, if they are natural, would have always happened: I am 73 years old and as a child I spent 3 months on vacation in a small town in Castellón, I have witnessed huge waves and I have enjoyed them on the beach , but I have NEVER witnessed these masses of foam, the only thing that has changed is the pollution of the sea, that by emulsion is what causes the foam, the other reasons are sporadic and very rare. I would never let my grandchildren bathe in that dangerous foam.