BOTZ, J. T.; LOUDON, C.; University of Kansas; University of Kansas: Dissipation of energy in surface waves: consequences for information transmission at the air:water interface

The attenuation of surface waves (ripples) has important implications for animals that use such waves to obtain information about objects in their environment. At any distance, such attenuation will decrease the probability of detection of mechanical disturbances by organisms at the interface. The decline in wave amplitude results from geometrical spreading and dissipation of energy. In order to quantify such changes in wave characteristics, the topography of the air:liquid interface was analyzed using high-speed videography and an array of laser lines projected onto the interface. Waves were generated by the impact of single drops of liquid released from fixed heights. As each train of waves spread across the interface, changes in maximum amplitude and in the total energy of the disturbance were quantified. A general relationship was found to exist between the physical properties of a fluid and the rate of decline in wave amplitude and energy over distance and time.