BUBBLE GROWTH FROM DISSOLVED OXYGEN NEAR THE SEA SURFACE
- 1 April 1962
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Limnology and Oceanography
- Vol. 7 (1) , 1-7
- https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1962.7.1.0001
Abstract
Calculation shows that an extremely high degree of oxygen‐supersaturation is necessary to cause growth of existing invisible bubbles in the sea at depths exceeding a few feet. Data on the distribution of dissolved oxygen in shallow water off San Diego, California, are presented and are related to the possible growth of bubbles. Oxygen contents up to 170% of the saturation value in the upper 10 ft were recorded during July and August at the measurement site. The average depth above which bubble growth would occur as a result of oxygen tension was found to range from 1.9 to 3.6 ft. Internal waves introduce vertical motion and turbulence at the depths where bubble growth might take place. The rising to the surface of bubbles whose growth is initiated by oxygen supersaturation may account for the escape of a significant amount of dissolved gas from the upper part of the water column.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: