Is there chemistry in surfing?
There is a great deal of chemistry in surfing. One area
chemistry influences surfing is thru the saturation of NaCl in the
water. The higher the saturation, the more bouyant you are in the
water which leads to a surfer riding higher in the water. This
means there is less contact between the board and the water (due to
the boards rocker) which increases its speed. This also touches on
the notion of surface tension and how much the board "sticks" to
the water it's sliding across. Another part of surfing that deals
heavily with chemisty is the hardgood production of in the surfing
industry. Ever since the Clark Foam closure, there has been a need
for new, cheap, innovative ways of making boards. Chemical and
Material Engineers have been working hard to develop new board
production methods which have led to such innovations as the EVF
(Epoxy Vaccum Fusion), Aviso, and Surftec methods. Since the Clark
Foam/EPA dibacle, many hardgood producers have turned to using
entirely natural materials including balsa and agave. A biochemist
would have a good time finding new natural materials with low
density/high strength ratios to build surfboards with. What's more,
developing an all natural epoxy-like resin would be highly
desirable among the surfing community as the chemicals used now are
pretty harsh. One more area chemistry influences surfing is through
the meterological dynamics that create the swells that crash on the
beaches as waves. The sun radiates a great deal of heat which is
aborbed and retained by the oceans. This heat creates open oceans
storms that send massive swells across the ocean to greet happy
surfers in the line-up. There is a great deal of chemistry in
surfing. One area chemistry influences surfing is thru the
saturation of NaCl in the water. The higher the saturation, the
more bouyant you are in the water which leads to a surfer riding
higher in the water. This means there is less contact between the
board and the water (due to the boards rocker) which increases its
speed. This also touches on the notion of surface tension and how
much the board "sticks" to the water it's sliding across. Another
part of surfing that deals heavily with chemisty is the hardgood
production of in the surfing industry. Ever since the Clark Foam
closure, there has been a need for new, cheap, innovative ways of
making boards. Chemical and Material Engineers have been working
hard to develop new board production methods which have led to such
innovations as the EVF (Epoxy Vaccum Fusion), Aviso, and Surftec
methods. Since the Clark Foam/EPA dibacle, many hardgood producers
have turned to using entirely natural materials including balsa and
agave. A biochemist would have a good time finding new natural
materials with low density/high strength ratios to build surfboards
with. What's more, developing an all natural epoxy-like resin would
be highly desirable among the surfing community as the chemicals
used now are pretty harsh. One more area chemistry influences
surfing is through the meterological dynamics that create the
swells that crash on the beaches as waves. The sun radiates a great
deal of heat which is aborbed and retained by the oceans. This heat
creates open oceans storms that send massive swells across the
ocean to greet happy surfers in the line-up.
