Animal Locomotion On The Water Surface - Marangoni Propulsion

Marangoni Propulsion

Many insects, including some terrestrial insects, can release a surfactant and propel themselves using the Marangoni effect. Hu and Bush report that Microvelia can attain a peak speed of 17 cm/s, which is twice its peak walking speed, using Marangoni propulsion.

Marangoni propulsion by a wetting arthropod is precisely analogous to a soap boat but the situation for insects such as water striders is more complex. Hu and Bush state that "for nonwetting arthropods, the transfer of chemical to kinetic energy is more subtle, as the Marangoni stress must be communicated across the creature’s complex surface layer".