Wan, Z.; Luo, S.; Huang, S.; Sun, Z.; Zou, Z., and Lu, X., 2021. Large eddy simulation of bubbles on the ocean surface under high-speed winds. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(1), 82–91. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

Waves break under high-speed wind conditions, and a large number of bubbles are generated. These bubbles have an important influence on the magnitude of air–sea exchanges, including but not limited to the transfer of momentum, mass, and heat. Because of current technical limitations, it is still difficult to observe the motion and distribution of bubbles in the ocean under high-speed wind conditions. In this study, the large eddy simulation technique is used to simulate the motions and distributions of 15 bubbles with different radii at high wind speeds under Langmuir circulation. The simulation results show that under high wind speeds, the bubble radius is an important factor affecting the movement of bubbles in the ocean. Large-radius bubbles quickly escape from the seawater because of buoyancy or break into smaller-radius bubbles. At the same time, the results also show that the bubbles are mainly distributed in the near-surface layer and are concentrated in the downflow region of the Langmuir circulation.