their mass. This leads to the addition of sensible heat prior to ocean reentry, enhancing their potential for significant enthalpy input. Dynamic effects The effects of sea spray transport in the atmospheric boundary layer is not yet completely understood. Sea spray droplets alter the air-sea momentum fluxes by being accelerated and decelerated by the winds. In hurricane-force winds, it is observed that there is some reduction in the air/sea momentum flux.'' This reduction in momentum flux manifests as saturation of air/sea drag coefficient. Some studies have identified spray effects as one of the potential reasons for the air/sea drag coefficient saturation. It has been shown through several numerical and theoretical studies that sea spray, if present in significant amounts in the atmospheric boundary layer, leads to saturation of air-sea drag coefficients. Ecology Coastal ecosystems Salt deposition from sea spray is the primary factor influencing distribution of plant communities in coastal ecosystems. Ion concentrations of sea spray deposited on land generally mirror their concentrations in the ocean, except that potassium is often higher in sea spray. Deposition of salts on land generally decreases with distance from the ocean but increases with increasing wind speed. Salt deposition from sea spray is correlated with a decrease in plant height and significant scarring, shoot reduction, stem height decrease, and tissue death on the windward side of shrubs and trees. Variation in salt deposition also influences competition between plants and establishes gradients of salt tolerance. While the salts within sea spray can severely inhibit plant growth in coastal ecosystems, selecting for salt-tolerant species, sea spray can also bring vital nutrients to these habitats. For example, one study showed that sea spray in Wales, UK delivers roughly 32 kg of potassium per hectare to coastal sand dunes each year. Because dune soils leach nutrients very quickly, sea spray fertilization could be very influential to dune ecosystems, especially for plants that are less competitive in nutrient-limited environments. Microbial communities Viruses, bacteria, and plankton are ubiquitous in sea water, and this biodiversity is reflected in the composition of sea spray. Generally speaking, sea spray has slightly lower concentrations of microbes than the water it is produced from. However, the microbial community in sea spray is often distinct from nearby water and sandy beaches, suggesting that some species are more biased towards SSA transportation than others. Sea spray from one beach can contain thousands of operational taxonomic units (OTUs).