Particle exchange at the air-water interface (B04)

• Subject Area: Oceanography ; Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 391977956

When a raindrop hits a water surface or a gas bubble bursts, a complicated fluid mechanical mechanism leads to the creation of a multitude of tiny droplets which are ejected into the surrounding air. These droplets can act as carriers for microplastic particles which were initially suspended in water. Since both rain and bursting gas bubbles are extremely frequent processes in natural and technical systems such as oceans, ponds or wastewater plants, they represent a potentially highly relevant migration path from the hydro- to the atmosphere. The aim of the present project is to obtain a detailed mechanistic understanding of this process based on a combination of model experiments and computer simulations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1357: MICROPLASTICS - Understanding the mechanisms and processes of biological effects, transport and formation: From model to complex systems as a basis for new solutions
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bayreuth
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Stephan Gekle; Professor Dr. Andreas B. Held