A Doric A-Z: S revisited

Doric, the dialect spoken in the North-East of Scotland is rich in words and phrases associated with the land and the sea. I so much enjoyed my recent journey through the Doric dictionary that I plan to revisit it on an irregular and random basis.

SEA-GUST: Salt spume driven by wind on to the land.

This was the view this morning at Cransdale, the bay just to the north of the village of Collieston. A heavy sea overnight had whipped up large amounts of spume which are being driven ashore by the tide and a strong southerly wind. Zoomify to enjoy the ultimate foam party.

According to Wikipedia, that font of knowledge, spume is created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, such as proteins, lignins, and lipids derived from the offshore breakdown of plants and animals. These compounds act as surfactants and, as the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, air is trapped forming persistent bubbles which stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, spume can be blown ashore in very large amounts.