Fragmentation of the "Bag-breakup" Type as a Mechanism of the Generation of Sea Spray at Strong and Hurricane Winds

Experiments on generation mechanisms of sea water spray under hurricane wind were performed using shadow illumination high-speed video recording from several camera positions. Classification of fragmentation mechanism leading to generation of spray was conducted. Statistics of the events causing generation of spray was studied. A phenomenological model was developed based on the methods of statistical physics to describe the "bag-breakup" generation mechanism. The function of spray generation was conducted on this basis, which describes well the experimental data obtained under hurricane winds in the natural and laboratory conditions.