Physalia spp., or Man-of-War, drifts in tropical and subtropical waters, transported by ocean surface conditions. Its unique drifting behavior, influenced by dimorphism (left or right-handedness), complicates stranding predictions. Specifically, the quantification of the influence of the wind on Physalia spp. movements remains an open question, although essential for accurate Lagrangian tracking models. We investigated the wind effect on Physalia spp. by testing 3D-printed replicas in a controlled wind flume. Our findings reveal that under weak winds, left- and right-handed specimens drift symmetrically apart, aligning with strandings observed near Sydney, Australia. As wind speed rises, the drift angle decreases exponentially from approximately 40°, eventually stabilizing near a downwind direction in high winds. On average, the drift speed is 1.7 % of the wind speed. Variations in body shape impact drift angles and stability, adding stochasticity to paths. The proposed empirical relationship might advance knowledge of Physalia spp. sources, distribution and pathways.

中文翻译：

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海洋流浪者：基于实验室的风和形态对酸浆菌漂流影响的研究。


Physalia spp.（或称“战舰”）在热带和亚热带水域中随海洋表面条件的变化而漂流。其独特的漂流行为受到二态性（左旋或右旋）的影响，使搁浅预测变得复杂。具体来说，风对 Physalia spp 的影响的量化。尽管对于精确的拉格朗日跟踪模型至关重要，但运动仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。我们研究了风对酸浆菌的影响。通过在受控风槽中测试 3D 打印的复制品。我们的研究结果表明，在微弱的风下，左旋和右旋样本对称地分开，与澳大利亚悉尼附近观察到的搁浅现象一致。随着风速上升，漂移角从大约 40° 开始呈指数减小，最终在大风中稳定在顺风方向附近。平均而言，漂移速度为风速的1.7%。身体形状的变化会影响漂移角度和稳定性，从而增加路径的随机性。所提出的经验关系可能会增进对酸浆菌属的了解。来源、分布和途径。