• About
    • About the FIA
    • Priorities
    • Our Team
    • Brainstorming Board
    • Partners and Affiliates
    • Contact Us
  • News + Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • @FIAumd
    • In the Media
  • Spark Grants
    • Spark Grants Overview
    • Spark Grants FAQ
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grants
    • 2012-2015 Seed Grant Winners
  • Special Topics
    • SearchReSearch
    • Curated Topics
FIA

SearchReSearch

Rethinking Langmuir Circulation lanes

Dan Russell • August 1, 2019
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
Rethinking Langmuir Circulation lanes Dan Russell

A couple of weeks ago...
... I asked what I thought was a simple question about "lanes" of quiet water that one can see on bodies of water. Here's that Challenge:


2. As we're sailing from place to place, it's not uncommon to see large patches of water without any ripples on the surface. It's something you see nearly everywhere--it's a common effect on lakes, ponds, and oceans. But what causes these ripple-free regions on the water? (See below for an image that has a large Y-shaped blank area in the middle. What causes this?)

I offered this image as an example of what I meant. See those blank spots?

And I found this other picture (see this Y-shaped quiet area in the left-center).

I tentatively identified them as lanes caused by Langmuir Circulation.

BUT THEN, as I was driving past the mouth of the Gualala River (in Northern California; it opens onto the Pacific) I saw THIS:

Here's a closeup below. Notice how the lines are VERY parallel, and run through the tree stump, and right onto the grassy shoreline at left. This is pretty clearly caused by Langmuir Circulation cells in the water. And yes, the wind was blowing (fairly hard) exactly along the lines. If you notice, there are lots of small waves on top of the cells. That's NOT quite what I was looking for: I wanted to find the cause of those glassy patches.

But as I stood there looking at them, they were NOT the same as the quiet / ripple-free regions I'd seen (as in the first two pictures above). These are clearly Langmuir cells, but there are LOTS of tiny wavelets on top of the water. Looks to me as though we're searching for another process than wind-induced long, linear cells.
So... what's going on?
I don't know. The search continues!
Let me know if you run across anything that's relevant to the "quiet water" effect.

Still searching!


Share

Comments

This post was republished. Comments can be viewed and shared via the original site.
6 comments

About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

Recent News

  • Deepfakes and the Future of Facts
    Deepfakes and the Future of FactsSeptember 27, 2019
  • Book cover for Joy of Search by Daniel M. Russell
    The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the BasicsSeptember 26, 2019
  • The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
    The Future of Facts in a ‘Post-Truth’ WorldMay 15, 2018
  • The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Storytelling
    The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive StorytellingJune 6, 2017

More »

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled. Please check back later.
Event Archive »
Video Archive »

Join Email List

SearchReSearch

  • Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?
    Answer: What do these everyday symbols mean?March 15, 2023
  • SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?
    SearchResearch Challenge (3/8/23): What do these everyday symbols mean?March 8, 2023
  • PSA:  Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does research
    PSA: Read Clive Thompson’s article about how he does researchMarch 3, 2023
  • Answer: World’s largest waterfall?
    Answer: World’s largest waterfall?March 2, 2023

More »

University of Maryland logo
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation logo
Google logo
Barrie School
Library of Congress logo
State of Maryland logo
National Archives logo
National Geographic Society logo
National Park Service logo
Newseum logo
Sesame Workshop logo
Smithsonian logo
WAMU
© 2023 The Future of Information Alliance, University of Maryland | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility