| Radio programs for the week of 9 June 2003 |
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Around the U.S. about 150 deaths each year are attributed to Rip
Currents--an average of 19 of them annually in Florida. Far more are
caught in the currents, but rescued. New research might help. Forecasts
for Rip Currents, I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... As summer brings more people to Florida's beaches, researchers are
working on one of the state's greatest threats to swimmers: Rip Currents.
In Volusia county alone, near Daytona Beach, lifeguards tally more than
600 rip current rescues in a year, and the new research hopes to warn when
the dangerous currents might occur... |
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fe30610
The offshore Rip Currents that, when active, might sweep dozens of swimmers away from shore in a day, are still somewhat of a mystery to swimmers and scientists alike, but new research into their cause is underway. Tracking Rip Current Rescues, I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... Daytona Beach in Florida's Volusia County is the site of some of the most spectacular rip currents in the state. As evidenced by the 600 or more people that lifeguards rescue from the rip currents there each year, it is an ideal location for the research project currently underway, hoping to predict when the currents might be a threat to swimmers. Researcher Robert Thieke heads the project... |
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fe30611
Scientists are still learning about the forces of nature at work on Florida beaches. And a project underway near Daytona Beach hopes to find out more about the dangerous Rip Currents there. Studying the Process of Beaches, I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... There's no question that rip currents are a feature of Florida's beaches--most prevalent on the Atlantic coast, but frequent in the Panhandle as well. But there's new research underway to both understand the factors that lead to the offshore undertow, and to see whether they might be predicted as a swimmer safety measure. Coastal Engineer Robert Thieke heads up the Rip Current project... |
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fe30612
As scientists try to come up with a way to forecast the conditions that are right for developing Rip Currents on Florida beaches, they're taking a cue from some folks who've been dealing with them for years. Learning from Lifeguards, I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment. The beach at Daytona in Florida's Volusia County sees more lifeguard rescues in a year than all of Florida's other counties, combined. That's due in part Daytona's popularity, but is also because of conditions that promote Rip Currents: strong undertows that pull swimmers away from shore. Researchers including Robert Thieke are trying to come up with a way to predict the Rip Currents, something he says Lifeguards there have developed a sense for... |
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fe30613
The dangerous Rip Currents that can form near Daytona Beach have a reputation as being some of the most severe in Florida. But they are certainly not the only ones to be concerned about. Mapping Florida's Rip Currents, I'm Kevin Pierce with the Florida Environment... The big wave action of Florida's Atlantic Coast makes it a likely site for rip currents: offshore undertows that can pull swimmers away from shore. And while Volusia County's Daytona Beach records more beach rescues than the rest of the state, combined, it is far from the only place--or the only coast--that features the dangerous currents... |