Spindrift wind. Some sources regard "spoondrift" as a direct alternative to "spindrift" in all its uses. In Greek and Roman mythology, Leucothea is considered the goddess of spindrift. Spindrift Spindrift (more rarely spoondrift) usually refers to spray, particularly to the spray blown from cresting waves during a gale. This spray, which "drifts" in the direction of the gale, is one of the characteristics of a wind speed of 8 Beaufort and higher at sea. In Great Britain "spindrift" is the telltale sign used by mariners to define a Force 8 (Beaufort Scale) wind (not higher) when observed at sea. See this
Wind stress of heat and mass between the water and the atmosphere. The air blowing parallel to a water body imparts motion to the surface water by shear action. This is a downward transfer of momentum from the air to the water that ultimately generates a drift current underneath. The water surface also deforms under the action of wind and becomes wavy for increasing wind speeds, which modifies the grip that the wind has on the surface itself. The mechanics of the interaction between wind and water becomes thus increasingly complex. The Beaufort scale, for example, shows the correspondence between wind speed