Sea foam is formed under conditions that are similar to the formation of sea spray. One of the main distinctions from sea spray formation is the presence of higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter from macrophytes and phytoplankton. The dissolved organic matter in the surface water, which can be derived from the natural environment or human-made sources, provides stability to the resulting sea foam.
The physical processes that contribute to sea foam formation are breaking surface waves, bubble entrainment, a process of bubbles being incorporated or captured within a liquid such as sea water and whitecap formation. Breaking of surface waves injects air from the atmosphere into the water column, leading to bubble creation. These bubbles get transported around the top few meters of the surface ocean due to their buoyancy. The smallest bubbles entrained in the water column dissolve entirely, leading to higher ratios of dissolved gases in the surface ocean. The bubbles that do not dissolve eventually make it back to the surface. As they rise, these bubbles accumulate hydrophobic substances. Presence of dissolved organic matter stabilizes the bubbles, aggregating together as sea foam. Some studies on sea foam report that breaking of algal cells in times of heavy swells makes sea foam production more likely.
Falling rain drops on the sea surface can also contribute to sea foam formation and destruction. There have been some non-mechanistic studies demonstrating increased sea foam formation due to high rainfall events. Turbulence in the surface mixed layer can affect the concentration of dissolved organic matter and aids in the formation of nutrient-dense foam.