Tag: Hobbit Beach

Sea foam: Life or Death?

Hobbit beach on the Oregon Coast

Winter time on the Oregon Coast

One of my favorite times to visit the Oregon Coast is during the winter.  With incredible whale watching opportunities, winter wind storms, and King Tides bringing huge waves- there is lot of drama on the Oregon Coast to enjoy in the winter.  

Close up of sea foam

Winter also brings increased amounts of white (sometimes brownish), billowing suds from the ocean to collect on our sandy beaches. Sea foam is not just a winter phenomenon, but it is the time of year that it does seem to pile up.  So, a couple weekends ago, when I found myself on a hike on the beach enjoying the sun and waves (yes! Sun in February), I found myself face to face with a lot of this surf riding fluff.  

The Hike

View from Hobbit Beach Trail heading toward Heceta Head

The Hike at a Glance

Trailhead: Hobbit Trail Trailhead (turnout on Highway 101 a little north of Heceta Head)

Miles: 1 mile round trip to the beach. 4 miles round trip to Heceta Head

Elevation Gain: almost 1000 ft

Notes: Trailhead can fill up easily on a nice day. There is no restroom at the trailhead. Trail is well signed and easy to follow.

Foam Fairy Tales

I grew up a Disney kid.  I saw all of the movies, including The Little Mermaid.  In fact, it was one of my favorites. I loved to sing the songs and dream of adventure, just like Ariel.  Of course as an adult, I can see a lot of flaws in the timeless tale, but I digress. Anyway, later in my childhood, I was also exposed to the original story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson.  A much darker tail where Ariel is rejected by the prince, dies, and turns into sea foam. Though Hans, when he wrote The Little Mermaid didn’t know it, his depiction of the death of sea life turning into foam is not terribly inaccurate. 

Good Foam

Sea foam at Hobbit Beach

Sea foam is dissolved organic matter that has been churned up by the sea creating suds much, like washing detergent suds up when agitated.  More agitation means more bubbles. Thus, in the winter, when there is more churning of the ocean, we often see more sea foam. But where did all these organics come from?  

The dissolved organic matter that creates sea foam is mostly natural occurring. Ocean water is made of a lot of materials- salts, fats, proteins, and all sorts of particulates. All of these things have the potential to create bubbles when you shake them up.   However, according to NOAA, one of the most common causes of thick piles of sea foam is dead algae.  

When algae growth is high in the ocean, a lot more of it dies and ends up washed up on the beaches in sea foam.  This is a good sign. Algae are producers – the base of the ocean food web- they transform sunlight and inorganic chemicals (carbon dioxide and water) through a fancy biochemical reaction into food and oxygen.  A lot of dead algae means a lot of living algae available as food for ocean life.

Sea foam piled up on Hobbit Beach

Not So Good Foam

Of course it should be noted that algae blooms have the potential to be harmful.  They can form toxins and other compounds that may be bad for people and wildlife. For example, in 2007 a harmful foam formed from algae called Akashiwo sanguinea on the west coast. The protein surfactants from the algae, in this case, stripped the natural waterproofing off the feathers of sea birds leading to hypothermia and death. Will we see more cases like this in the future?  It is hard to tell. 

It seems there is still much to learn about the foamy stuff.  There are even some ideas floating around about using sea foam to increase the albedo (reflectivity of sunlight) of the ocean in order to limit global warming. 

Pretty Good Foam

So for now, just enjoy watching sea foam pile up creating a beach wide winter bubble bath. Despite the fact that it contains the remains of living creatures, it is a better indicator of life than death.  Besides, it sure is pretty to look at.