Broadband Attenuation-Based Measurements of Bubble Size Distributions

Oceanic bubbles generated by breaking waves are a key mechanism for air-sea gas exchange. Dense bubble plumes can also interfere with acoustic propagation in shallow water due to their high scattering and attenuation. Most studies of oceanic bubbles have used narrow-band acoustical and optical techniques to quantify bubble size distributions under breaking waves in open water. To study bubble distributions at estuarine tidal fronts, where localized downwelling and advection can generate large bubbles plumes, we developed a measurement system for estimating bubble size distributions via broadband excess attenuation. The system consists of two transducers (3–30 kHz and 30–110 kHz) and two hydrophones mounted on a towable frame. Testing was performed in a laboratory wave tank to measure bubble distributions below a field-scale (1 + meter) breaking wave. This presentation will discuss the bubble size distributions observed at different locations along the breaking wave crest in the direction of propagation and their associated time scales and sound speed anomalies. We also compare these distributions with those previously observed in open water and will present preliminary results from a field deployment of the system in the Connecticut River estuary.