The Newsletter of the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence - Mid-Atlantic (COSEE-MA)

Rip Current Warning!

The persistent tones of a pager awoke Harry DeButts from a deep sleep. It is 4:30 am. As he reads through the text message he has just received. "Present Surf Zone Conditions Are Extremely Favorable For Rip Current Generation". Mr. DeButts, Director of Public Works, Avalon, New Jersey, knows it will be a busy summer day. He reaches for the phone to notify the chief of police and the captain of the borough's lifeguards. He will ask them to have their staff be extra watchful of people entering the ocean and to inform the public of the potential danger, especially when the beaches are unguarded; the time over which almost all coastal drownings occur.

The page alert that Mr. DeButts received was not generated by the National Weather Service but by an automated coastal measurement and analysis system known as the New Jersey Coastal Monitoring Network (NJCMN). The observation system was designed and installed by Professor Tom Herrington and his colleagues at the Center for Maritime Systems (CMS) located at Stevens Institute of Technology. Constructed through a grant from the State of New Jersey in 1996, the network consists of 5 automated nodes that measure and transmit via the Internet real-time data regarding the ocean and weather conditions immediately offshore of the coast in 5 m of water, 24-hours a day. Now part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the data obtained by the network is archived at the CMS and used by coastal researchers to benchmark long-term coastal change as well as capture significant coastal events that would otherwise by impossible to measure.

So how does a network designed for coastal research transmit automated rip current alerts? The answer lies in the unique data that the system collects and the insights that researchers a Stevens have been able to garner from nearly 7 years of continuous data.

Analyzing the data, Herrington, a coastal engineering professor, recognized a correlation between specific wave conditions and the frequency of reports of dangerous rip currents and rescues preformed by New Jersey lifeguards. "Most rescues occur on beautiful summer days when the surf does not appear threatening", says Herrington. "Otherwise, most casual swimmers would not be in the water". Herrington began to look for something unusual in the data collected during the time periods of high rip current activity. "It turns out that low frequency (long-period) waves with heights often less than 3 feet are generating dangerous rip current conditions along the coast". Identifying this relationship, Herrington derived a rip current index that utilizes the real-time data collected by the NJCMN to provide minor, moderate or sever advisories for rip current activity.

Placing a short automated program to calculate the rip current index and notify appropriate officials by email, text messages, and/or pages, completes the alert system. "It is really a very simple utility but it shows the power of the IOOS system", states Herrington. "By having a continuous data stream of ocean information we can not only conduct better research but we can identify potentially hazardous ocean conditions and alert the public almost instantly".

Warning the public is just one aspect of Herrington's efforts to build awareness and educate the public about the dangers of rip currents. As director of the Stevens-New Jersey Sea Grant Cooperative Extension in Coastal Processes, He convened and chaired a committee to develop a rip current sign to passively warn and educate the public about rip currents. "Almost all drownings along the New Jersey coast occur when the beaches are unguarded", says Herrington. "We needed to develop a sign that in very simple terms and graphics describes a rip current, how to identify one and what to do if you should get caught in one". The result was a sign designed through a cooperative effort among 4 state agencies, 2 federal agencies, a university and a non-profit marine sciences consortium. "It was extremely important to address the concerns of all agencies with responsibility along the coast including, safety and tourism. By including all coastal stakeholders, we now have signs up at every public beach entrance in the State of New Jersey and this is extremely important since the research shows that rip currents are just as likely to form on a nice summer day as they are during a storm." The signs have been so well received by the coastal municipalities that Spanish versions have been produced for Atlantic City and Long Branch, New Jersey.

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About the Scientist
Dr. Tom Herrington is an associate professor of ocean engineering in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering and is affiliated with the Center for Maritime Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is the acting NOAA New Jersey Sea Grant Coastal Processes Specialist and the Director of New Jersey Coastal Protection Technical Assistance Service. His teaching and research interests include coastal hydrodynamics, sediment transport, wave-structure interaction, coastal meteorology and coastal hazard mitigation. Dr. Herrington is the chief architect of he New Jersey Coastal Monitoring Network, one of the first completely Internet-based, real-time coastal ocean observing systems in the United States. He is an active member of the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association and chairs the NJ Sea Grant Real-time Ocean Observing System Product Development Committee. He is author or coauthored on over 50 technical publications in the field of coastal and ocean engineering, including the recently published Manual for Coastal Hazard Mitigation. Dr. Herrington holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering and a MS and Ph. D. in Ocean Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. (http://www.stevens.edu/engineering/ceoe/People/herrington.html)

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Scientists' Toolbox

One of COSEE-MA's most important objectives is to provide ocean scientists with tools and resources to improve their ability to engage in, and support, education and outreach efforts related to their research. Here are a few:

COSEE-MA Scientist Connections
This project helps scientists at varying stages of their careers get involved in the professional development of formal classroom educators. It’s a good example of a Partner Scientist commitment discussed in the COSEE-MA Scientist Connections guidelines. Learn how Scientist Connections can help you determine which level and type of education and outreach best meets your needs. (http://www.cosee-ma.net/res_ed/guide_intro.htm)

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Related Education/Outreach Resources

National Weather Service Rip Current Safety
(http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/overview.shtml)

How Stuff Works – Rip Currents
(http://science.howstuffworks.com/rip-current.htm)

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