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  1. Rip Currents

    rip currents. Rip currents are responsible for about 150 deaths every year in the
    United States. ... Rip currents can be found on many surf beaches every day. ...

  2. Water Safety

    ... 5. Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents -- water that is
    discolored, unusually choppy, foamy, or filled with debris. ...

  3. Oceanography

    ... 3. The dynamic model of tides 4. When the natural period of a basin 5. In the open
    ocean, tidal currents 6. In a basin with an ... overwash Rip current -- A narrow ...

  4. Coastal Erosion

    ... The sea wall and rip-rap protected the initial area, by stopping the erosion. ... of
    material are removed from the seabed, the directions of currents move more ...

  5. Engineering Life: Defining &Quot;Humanity&Quot; In A Postmodern Age

    ... Genetic Technology Postmodern antihumanism and the contemporary genetics industry
    are two powerful currents that form a potentially menacing rip tide against ...

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Rip Currents

Submitted by candy123 on December 6, 2005

Category: Science
Words: 1371 | Pages: 6
Views: 172
Popularity Rank: 68,927
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)

Rip currents are responsible for about 150 deaths every year in the United States. In Florida, they kill more people annually than thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes combined. They are the number-one concern for beach lifeguards: About 80 percent of all beach rescues are related to rip currents. Despite these startling statistics, many swimmers don't know anything about rip currents, and they have no idea how to survive when caught in one. In this research paper I will discuss what causes rip currents, how you can recognize them and what you should do if one takes you out to sea (http://science.howstuffworks.com/rip-current.htm). Rip currents can occur at anytime of the year, but the majority of deaths occur from may to august when the combination of large number of bathers and favorable wind conditions coincide (www.ripcurrents.noaa/gov/overviews .shtml). What is a rip current? a rip current is a strong surface current of water flowing out past the surf zone, the surf zone is the area between the high tide level on the beach to the seaward side of breaking waves, where at the height of a rip current it is able to pull the strongest swimmer into the deep water. Rip currents can be found on many surf beaches every day. Rip currents most typically form at low spots or breaks in sandbars, and also near structures such as groins, jetties and piers. Rip currents can occur at any beach with breaking waves, Rip currents can be as narrow as 10 or 20 feet in width but some can be as much as ten times wider. The length of the rip current also varies. Rip currents begin to slow down as they move offshore, beyond the breaking waves, but sometimes extend for hundreds of feet beyond the surf zone ( http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/faq.shtml#form). It can even reach speeds of up to 1m/s and some have been reported as high as 2 m/s. Signs that a rip current is present are very subtle and difficult for the average beachgoer to identify. Look for differences in the water...

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