There’s something about surfing in cold water.
Maybe it’s the extra neoprene, the brain freeze, the numb extremities after an hour or so sitting in the lineup. Whatever it is, surfing in cold water just seems more…intense. Take the same size wave and picture yourself surfing in boardies or a bikini, versus a hood, booties, and a 5/4, and for some reason, it all just seems a little more mellow.
And as it turns out, there may be some scientific veracity to that.
In the post above, environmentalist and scientist and surfer Dr. Cliff Kapono explains:
“According to Emile Clapeyron’s ideal gas law equation, as temperature decreases, the density of a substance increases.
“This applies to water, meaning that the colder it gets, the more dense it becomes.
“As a result, waves in cold water scientifically heavier than those in warmer water.”
In the caption, Cliff added this addendum:
“If the volume of the comparable waves are equal.”
There ya have it. So, next time you see a headline reading something like, “Heavy Water Session in Frigid Alaska,” you better believe it.
And people in the comments took the conversation even further:
“Curiosity is killing me here… does atmospheric pressure cause the water in wave pools to be ‘heavier’ at higher elevations, than those found at lower elevations?”
“Salinity also increases density. And salinity varies globally”
What about freshwater? I.e. wavepools?
Maybe these questions (and more) will be answered in future episodes of Dr. Cliff Kapono’s Surf Science (our title not his), as it appears to be an ongoing series. In a previous edition, he covered Why Do Surfers Pee in Their Wetsuits?
Stay tuned for more surf science to come.
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