Journal: Science of The Total Environment

Abstract: Flash rips are episodic bursts of water jetting offshore, which can lead to drowning incidents by sweeping swimmers offshore without warning, thus posing a hidden and unrecognized danger to beachgoers. This study reveals hazards of flash rips by investigating a series of drowning incidents along coasts of Lake Michigan during a series of storm events on July 18–21, 2019. Occurrences and causes offlash rips were depicted through webcam image observations, storm features of atmospheric disturbances, hydrodynamic circumstances of wind waves and meteorologically in- ducedwater level fluctuations, andmodel-reconstructed nearshore circulations. Results shows that flash rips were gen- erated during or after storms through nearshore processes ofstorm-induced windwaves and meteorologically induced water level fluctuations. With small wind waves, low water level fluctuations, and a timing delay of rip occurrences relative to the causative convective storms, flash rips pose a hidden hazard to unaware swimmers. Historical observa- tions for incidents in Lake Michigan between 2002 and 2019 further show that dry conditions or fair weathers and a calm water signature at the beach can likely generate unexpected hidden flash rips, resulting in the highest drowning risks. There is an urgent need for communication, education, and prediction/forecast of hidden flash rips to the Lau- rentian Great Lakes and worldwide coastal communities.

Indexed by: Journal paper

Volume: 827

Page Number: 154314

Translation or Not: no

Date of Publication: 2022-03-04