• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.56 no.8
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• pp.521-528
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• 2023

An approach for producing a rip current risk index using the rip current likelihood distribution obtained through the FUNWAVE simulations was applied to a rip current forecast system. The approach originally developed for an observation-based real-time rip current warning system was utilized with wave forecast data instead of observations for the rip current forecast system. The availability of the present approach was checked by comparing the observation-based rip current risk index and the wave forecast-based rip current risk index of the Haeundae Beach in 2021.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.55-62
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• 2017

A nearshore current or a wave-induced current is an important phenomenon in a nearshore zone, which is composed of longshore, cross-shore, and rip currents. The nearshore current is closely related to the occurrence of coastal accidents by beachgoers. A considerable number of coastal accidents by beachgoers involving the rip current have been reported at Jungmun Beach. However, in studies and observations of the nearshore current of Jungmun Beach, understanding of the rip current pattern remains unclear. In this study, a scientific approach is taken to understand the nearshore current and the rip current patterns at Jungmun Beach by numerical computation for year of 2015. From results of numerical computation, the occurrence and spatial characteristics of the rip current, and the similarities between the rip current and incident wave conditions are analyzed. The primary results of this study reveal that the rip currents are frequently generated at Jungmun Beach, especially in the western parts of the beach, and that the rip currents often occur with a wave breaking height of around 0.5 ~ 0.7 m, a wave period of around 6 ~ 8 seconds, and a breaking angle of around 0 ~ 15 degrees.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1191-1201
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• 2014

The rip current warning index function, which estimates the likelihood of dangerous rip current in the real-time rip current warning system operating to help mitigate against rip current accidents at Haeundae beach, was studied. The rip current warning index evaluated as a function of various real-time observations was developed based on Choi et al. (2013b). This study shows a version of rip current warning index improved by including the effect of wave direction and spreadings of frequency-directional spectrum on rip current likelihood. The wave and tidal observations in 2012 at Haeundae coast were applied to the rip current index function, and its performances at several real events found based on CCTV images were presented and analyzed.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.110-114
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• 2010

A data set of current, wind and wave height measured at the monitoring buoy and sea level at Busan harbor were analyzed to explain the physical conditions during the strong rip current events at Haeundae Beach of Suyeong Bay during 13~15 August 2009. Tidal current, with spring-neap variations, has similar average speed to the short-term non-tidal currents. The common features at the time of rip currents are the strong northeasterly wind and superposition of tidal and non-tidal currents both flowing toward the coast. However on 14 August when the rip current did not occur, tide and wave height were similar to the rip-current cases but the tidal and non-tidal current were to nearly opposite directions. While strong winds produce large waves thus the basic condition for rip current but its influence on the local circulation in the bay is relatively small. Of the three adjacent beaches, only at Haeundae the rip currents are reported. This difference may be due to the unique bottom topography featured by underwater hill in the central region off Haeundae which can decay the incoming waves, tides and currents to intensify the rip current.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.843-854
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• 2022

For the rip current warning system to reduce rip-current accidents, the implementation method producing the risk index was modified. To produce fast response from the warning system based on real-time observations, the method employed the numerical results (i.e., rip current likelihoods according to the possible scenario) obtained in advance. In this study, instead of using the empirical curve-fitting functions of the previous method, the present modification utilized two-dimensional distributions (i.e., wave height and period, wave height and tidal elevation, wave height and direction, wave height and spreading of frequency-directional spectrum) of rip current likelihoods stacked in a database of the system. The wave and tidal observations in 2021 at the Haeundae coast were applied to the modified system, and its performances at several real events recorded in CCTV images were presented.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.205-218
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• 2013

The likelihood of rip current at Haeundae beach according to wave parameters, such as wave height, period, direction, and tidal elevation, was estimated by using numerical simulations with a Boussinesq model, FUNWAVE. To examine the estimation, the rip current occurred on 12th June, 2011 at Haeundae beach was simulated based on observations. For the estimation, the following procedure was carried out. First, extensive numerical simulations of nearshore circulations are performed under various random sea conditions according to the wave parameters. Second, from the numerical results, cross shore components of two-wave-period averaged velocities over the nearshore area were computed, and their seawardly maximum was defined as rip current velocity of the area. Third, using time series of the rip current velocity, we computed the ratio of the simulation time and the time period in which the rip current velocity exceed a threshold velocity for rip-current accidents, and thus the ratio was quantified as the likelihood of rip current at Haeundae beach for the input wave parameters. From the resultant estimations, it was found that the rip current likelihood increases as wave height and period increase, and tidal elevation decreases.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.477-490
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• 2013

A rip-current warning index function, which is estimated from the likelihood of rip current quantified based on numerical simulations under various sea environments and is varied according to real-time buoy-observations, was studied to help protect against rip current accidents at Haeundae beach. For the quantification, the definition of likelihood of rip current, which proposed by Choi et al. (2011, 2012b), was employed and estimated based on Boussinesq modelling. The distribution of likelihood of rip current was evaluated by using various simulations according to scenarios established based on physical quantities(i.e., wave parameters) of buoy-observations. To index the likelihood of rip current, empirical functions were derived based on the distribution and adjusted to observational environments. In this study, the observations from June to September in 2011 at Haeundae beach were applied to the rip-current index functions, and its applications into the real events found based on CCTV images were presented and investigated. In addition, limitations and improvements of the rip-current index function were discussed.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.320-326
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• 2016

Rip current forecasts, based on intensity, are marked in four levels—notice, watch, warning, and danger. However, numerical results are represented by current vectors, whose magnitudes are then converted into predictive levels. In the present study, the rose diagram is adapted as a determinative forecasting index and examined for the case of an ideal rip channel consisting of surface, bottom, and averaged currents. Further, it is employed in the sensitivity analysis of wave-induced currents generated by wave conditions at the Haeundae Beach. The simulation of surface onshore and bottom undertow currents is accomplished by including a mass flux term in the wave-averaged continuity equation.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.645-655
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• 2022

Recently rip currents are frequently observed in the summer at the beaches located along the East Sea coast. To understand the generation types of rip currents occurred at the Ease Sea beaches, numerical simulations of rip currents over the topographies of the Sokcho, Naksan, Gyeongpo, Mangsang beaches were performed by using a Boussinesq-type wave and current model, FUNWAVE. The offshore and nearshore topographically-controlled rip currents and the transient rip currents were well reproduced due to the alongshore non-uniformities involving the phase interaction effects. This study looked over the generation types of rip currents to occur at the beaches with complicated field bathymetries.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.247-257
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• 2022

In order to investigate the generations of rip currents modulated with the tidal elevations at a mega-tidal beach at the West Sea coast, numerical simulations of rip currents over the topography of the Daecheon beach were performed by using a Boussinesq-type wave and current model, FUNWAVE. The mega-tidal coast includes rocky outcrops (i.e., reefs) lying over or under the water surface according to the tidal elevations in the offshore and nearshore bathymetry. The offshore topographically-controlled rip currents were well reproduced due to the alongshore non-uniformities transformed by the tide-modulated topography. This study addressed the generation types of rip currents to occur at the mega-tidal coast with the tide-modulated outcrops and reefs.