Days of rain and storms have churned the surf and buried NSW beaches in foam.
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The weather spectacle is caused by storm activity, wind and rough surf, these things agitate sea water (which is 96.5 per cent water and 2.5 per cent salt) and cause the other one per cent of stuff to froth.
That other one per cent is a mix of proteins, fats, dead algae, detergents, other pollutants, and other bits of organic and inorganic matter.
When these particles get agitated by wind and waves, they froth.
Molecules, called surfactants, cause the bubbles.
Surfactants come from natural sources, including algae and seaweed, but also from human sources such as fertilisers, detergents and sewage.
How Stuff Works explains that one end of the molecule is hydrophobic - it repels water. The other end is hydrophilic - it attracts water. The easiest shape for these molecules to form is a sphere, with the hydrophobic ends on the inside and the hydrophilic ends pointing outward. Spheres (even if they aren't perfect) make bubbles - and lots of bubbles makes sea foam.
Above are photos from Port Kembla Beach near Wollongong on NSW's South Coast and Redhead and Newcastle beaches in the state's Hunter region.
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