Drift flow on the water surface with a film of hydrophobic particles in a uniform and decelerating air flow

Abstract

The effect of a film of hydrophobic dust particles on the water surface on the development of a drift current under the influence of wind is studied. In a uniform air flow on a flat water surface, the drift current is caused by viscous forces and increases along the fetch. The formation of stationary waves on a drift current is found if the drift velocity is 𝑈𝑑𝑟> 0.23 m/s. In a decelerating air flow in the presence of wind waves, the total component of the drift velocity 𝑈𝑠𝑢𝑚 cyclically increases and drops to a viscous component when a steep wind wave breaks up into longer linear waves. As the particle settling time Ts increases, the maximum ratio 𝑈𝑤/𝑈𝑠𝑢𝑚 decreases from 0.6 for pure water to 0.3 for Ts = 4 days