Infrared imagery of large-aspect-ratio Langmuir circulation

Airborne infrared imagery collected off the West Florida coast reveals Langmuir circulation patterns having across-wind spacings of the order of ten times the local water depth. This implies a much flatter circulation cell than has been typically reported but supports observations made off the Texas coast by Hunter and Hill (Remote Sensing Environ. 10 (1980) 115). The conditions under which such large-aspect-ratio circulation cells form remain unclear.