What is it about?
Bubbles rising together in water interact and form small clusters. We used advanced 3D tracking to measure how each bubble moves. We discovered that clustered bubbles rise faster than unclustered ones because a trailing bubble is pulled upward by the wake of the leading bubble. But overall, bubble swarms rise more slowly than single bubbles in still water, because the turbulence generated by the swarm reduces their upward efficiency.
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Photo by Matthew Sichkaruk on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This work uses a new 3D tracking method to follow every deformable bubble inside a dense swarm in real time — something never achieved before. It resolves a long-standing question about whether bubble swarms rise faster or slower than single bubbles, and why. These insights can improve models of natural bubble plumes and help optimize bubble-driven industrial processes.
Perspectives
This study brings together many years of work on tracking bubbles. We're proud that our measurements could finally settle a long-standing debate in the field and provide a clear physical picture of how bubble swarms rise.
Tian Ma
Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Lagrangian tracking reveals competing influences of clustering and turbulence on the rise velocity of bubble swarms, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2518309122.
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