signature=27fe40dfd620feec0260ffd4e7d59216,APS -62nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dyn...

62nd Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics

Volume 54, Number 19

Sunday–Tuesday, November 22–24, 2009;

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Session EV: Swimming I

4:15 PM–6:25 PM,

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Room: 205A-D

Chair: Neelesh Patankar, Northwestern University

Abstract ID: BAPS.2009.DFD.EV.2

Abstract: EV.00002 : The Hydrodynamic Origin of Whale Flukeprints

4:28 PM–4:41 PM

Author:

Rachel Levy

(Harvey Mudd College)

Whales swimming at a shallow depth leave a signature on the ocean

surface known as a whale flukeprint. The print is a large,

smooth, oval patch surrounded by a small wake or ridge. Informal

observations made by biologists have led to hypotheses that the

prints are made either by hydrodynamic structures created by the

motion of the fluke, or by surfactants. This study employs

experiments with an artificial fluke to determine whether prints

can be created by hydrodynamic forces without the presence of

surfactant. The effect of swim velocity on the width, length and

duration of a flukeprint created by the artificial fluke is

discussed. The experimental data indicate that prints can be

formed solely by hydrodynamic forces. This conclusion is

supported by observations of whales, infrared images of

footprints and numerical simulations of vorticity.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2009.DFD.EV.2