Storm_oil
Storm oil
Oil spread from ships to calm waves
Storm oil is described as nearly water-insoluble oil acting as a surfactant, and has been used since ancient times to smooth ocean waves.[1][2] It has been historically employed to facilitate sea rescues and improve navigational safety, involving pouring the oil onto the ocean surface to reduce wave intensity.[3][4] The nearly immiscible spilled oil acts as a surfactant, accumulating on the surface, and as waves locally stretch or compress, it leads to a concentration gradient inducing tangential shear forces leading to extra dissipation and damping.[5][1] The phenomena were later discovered and scientifically explored by figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Lord Rayleigh, and Agnes Pockels, collectively deepening the scientific knowledge of surface tension and wave dynamics.[1][4]