Foam

[NewMax]

Hi,



What is with all the foam at the beach?  Have not seen this amount of foam before.

Photo at Cape Conran Coastal Park in Victoria, mid point on the tide, weather calm, gentle on shore wind, no rivers close by.  Last three days calm with pretty average waves

NewMax

[Mace]

Trying to remember Botany 101 from long ago!

I would say its because  there's currently a fair bit of fresh water and associated vegetative organic matter and nutrients coming out of the snowy river and other areas of runnoff, due to high rainfall.  This, when churned up by wave action, produces the foam you have seen.

Its not climate change tho!   

[singo-26]

Heaps of omo (see I do know where the laundry is).

[Mace]

a follow up.

You often get stratification when fresh water hits the ocean.  Sea water is denser, so the fresh can stratify on top.
 This body of water could have been carried by currents a fair distance from the river mouth to where it has hit land and become agitated.

From Wiki:

Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids)[1] derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles which stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beachface inland onto sidewalks and streets.



Hope this explains it satisfactorally!

 

[Hairs]

G'day Newmax,
What Mace has posted is right.
Growing up in Ballina( in the 70's and early 80's), the catchment of the Richmond River is fairly big and it has a high rain fall, especially over Christmas and into February(Cyclone Season), the beaches would be a play ground for us kids.
I've seen photos of the foam in Byron Bay down the main street as high as the shop awnings, can't remember what year it was, before the 74 floods anyway.
 

[baldheadedgit]

Heaps of omo (see I do know where the laundry is).

OMO, OMO, are you for real Singo.................?   it's Palmolive dishwashing liquid.! your soaking in it.!   

Stockton was the same on Sunday, just one big bubble bath..

BHG

[fishfinder]

I am a beerologist and what it is the head of a badly poored beer its the cruise ships skimping on experienced beer poorers and all the foam you see is the beer they turf over board from customers not satisfied with the size of head on their beers . This is extremely rare and something I only dream about . My question is did you swim in it ? My number one thing to do before i kick the bucket is to swim in an ocean of beer .