Journal: Journal of Great Lakes Research

Abstract: Rip currents near coastal structures commonly occur in Lake Michigan in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Lack of timely warning due to undocumented characteristics of rip currents and no assess- ment tool can contribute to tragic drownings incidents. In this paper, we characterized rip current occur- rences near breakwater structures and developed an assessment tool for providing timely rip current warnings to beachgoers at the study site, City of Port Washington, WI. Characteristics of rip currents near the structure were observed from field measurements or visual images. Deflection rip currents had speeds of $ 0.2 m/s and lasted for several hours. The rip current occurrences were associated with envi- ronmental proxies. It was found that rip currents can occur even when the water appears calm near the structure. A Structure Rip Checklist and Assessment Matrix (SRiCAM) with a four-tiered risk was devel- oped and validated using observations. Furthermore, the SRiCAM was integrated into cyberinfrastructure with a data contingency plan to provide real-time warnings to the public. The applicability of the SRiCAM to other locations across Lake Michigan was further tested and results are promising. Overall, the SRiCAM has the potential to be widely extended to foster recreational water safety and resilience to rip current hazards in the Great Lakes.

Indexed by: Journal paper

Volume: 48

Issue: 3

Page Number: 645-658

Translation or Not: no

Date of Publication: 2022-03-04