Scripps Oceanography researchers Grant Deane, Dale Stokes, and Adrian Callaghan determined for the first time how the energy of turbulence is distributed inside breaking waves. The team used the wave flume located in Scripps' Hydraulics Laboratory and used bioluminescent organisms as tools to measure shear stress in the waves. They reported their results earlier this month in the Journal of Physical Oceanography. Watch the bioluminescent plankton in action in this video.
Related Video: Viewing Wave Energy through Bioluminescence