# Statistics of single and multiple floaters in experiments of surface wave turbulence

## TL;DR

This study investigates the behavior of floaters on a turbulent water surface, analyzing their motion and dispersion to understand the underlying flow dynamics through experiments and modeling.

## Contribution

It provides experimental data and a simple model describing the three main processes governing floater dynamics in surface wave turbulence.

## Key findings

- Floater velocities and accelerations follow specific statistical distributions.
- Particles exhibit preferential concentration and trapping by eddies.
- Three dominant processes—wave drag, eddy trapping, and circulation—govern particle motion over time.

## Abstract

We present laboratory experiments of surface wave turbulence excited by paddles in the deep water regime. The free surface is seeded with buoyant particles that are advected and dispersed by the flow. Positions and velocities of the floaters are measured using particle tracking velocimetry. We study the statistics of velocity and acceleration of the particles, mean vertical displacements, single-particle horizontal dispersion, and the phenomenon of preferential concentration. Using a simple model together with the experimental data, we show that the time evolution of the particles has three characteristic processes that dominate the dynamics at different times: drag by surface waves at early times, trapping by horizontal eddies at intermediate times, and advection by a large-scale mean circulation at late times.