Rip current hazard at coastal recreational beaches in China

Abstract

Rip current has become the primary coastal hazard globally. This work presents the operational investigation of nation-wide rip current hazard and its implications for the beach recreational safety in China. Accumulated domestic surfzone fatalities were reported more than the marine disaster casualties over recent ten years. The surfzone accident has high occurrence frequency in the southern regions and reaches its peak from July to August. The spatial distribution of comprehensive hazard levels at 101 major coastal beaches is evaluated based on the proposed risk index system. The methodology involves multiple approaches of statistical analysis and field survey. Southern provinces feature higher rip current hazard than the north due to larger wave, lower tidal range, and more dynamic littoral morphology. The rip current prominently contributes to the demographic variations of beach drowning statistics. The occurrence probability of rip currents could be high in either hotter or cooler weather while the seasonal shift depends on both wave climate and the local shoreline profile. Enhancing public awareness of the rip current hazard has been proved to be a very effective way decreasing surfzone accidents.