spray

This article explains a phenomenon in and around water. For the same or similar ( Gäscht ) mentioned phenomenon in alcohol production see fermentation foam .

Spray created by waves hitting the coast.

Heavy spray formation on the bow of a ferry due to the interaction of the swell with the moving hull.

The spray (technically also: the spray) is the whitish mixture of water and air that is created when the water of natural or artificial bodies of water is stirred up by mechanical action. Such mechanical influences can be:

• strong wind
• the propeller or the bow of a boat or ship
• Fall from a great height (e.g. a waterfall )
• the rapid flow of water against obstacles (e.g. in rapids or on a rocky coast )

Most of the time it is an interaction of several of these influences.

Spray occurs in different forms, depending on the strength of the mechanical impact. These range from foam to a fine spray.

The extent to which spray occurs at the crests of waves ( foam tops ) can be used to determine the wind speed .

Algae foam (foreground) in the surf

If there is an increased number of microorganisms in the water, spray can settle on the beach as " algae foam ". This arises when the slime that the algae produce is mixed with air in the surf, similar to egg whites , and thereby foamed.

Water interspersed with air bubbles (e.g. in white water and often on the seashore in the surf zone ) is called spray water . Due to its low specific weight, this water can no longer carry swimmers and therefore poses a particular danger.

Freezing spray forms spray ice . When sailing in polar regions, this is one of the main causes of ship icing and winter slippery coastlines.

Formula 1 car with spray flag (1966)

In purely technical contexts, mechanically foamed or finely atomized water is referred to as spray , including the spray water that is mainly blown up by the tires of motor vehicles on wet roads.

Web links

Commons : Spray  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: spray  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In the early autumn of 2012, a storm in the western North Sea produced a large amount of such algae foam, which was pushed inland by strong winds ( gale ) and eventually houses, backyards, cars and streets in areas near the beach in Footdee, a district of Aberdeen , extensively coated, see Foam swept in as gales hit Scotland BBC News (NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland) on September 25, 2012, accessed on August 17, 2014.
2. ↑ Rosberg versus Vettel: Gripping spray duel. Kicker-Sportmagazin, November 22, 2013, accessed October 30, 2015 . 
3. ↑ Vettel after rain training: "not the yellow of the egg". Focus Online, September 25, 2015, accessed October 30, 2015 .