TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Drowning incidents and conditions due to hidden flash rips in Lake Michigan
JO  - Science of the total environment
A1  - Liu, Yuli
A1  - Wu, Chin H.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 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 of flash rips were depicted through webcam image observations, storm features of atmospheric disturbances, hydrodynamic circumstances of wind waves and meteorologically induced water level fluctuations, and model-reconstructed nearshore circulations. <br><br>RESULTS shows that flash rips were generated during or after storms through nearshore processes of storm-induced wind waves 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 observations 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 Laurentian Great Lakes and worldwide coastal communities.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0048-9697
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154314
ID  - ref1
ER  -