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Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics

Volume 56, 2024

Bubble Plumes in Nature

Abstract

Bubble plumes are ubiquitous in nature. Instances in the natural world include the release of methane and carbon dioxide from the seabed or the bottom of a lake and from a subsea oil well blowout. This review describes the dynamics of bubble plumes and their various spreading patterns in the surrounding environment. We explore how the motion of the plume is affected by the density stratification in the external environment, as well as by internal processes of dissolution of the bubbles and chemical reaction. We discuss several examples, such as natural disasters, global warming, and fishing techniques used by some whales and dolphins.

Keyword(s): bubble plume, carbon dioxide, dissolution, lake mixing, methane
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2024-01-19
2024-04-28
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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-120720-011833
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Bubble Plumes in Nature
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 56, 295 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-120720-011833
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-120720-011833
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-fluid-120720-011833
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