Abstract
Rip currents are known as one of the most dangerous hazards on sandy beaches worldwide. Indian beaches are least explored to study the variability of rip currents in space and time. The present study is the first attempt made to understand its dynamics by utilizing indigenously developed GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) drifters and Rhodamine-B dye experiments. The Rama Krishna (RK) and Rushikonda Beaches of Visakhapatnam are chosen for this study, due to a recorded number of rip current-related drowning cases observed during the past decade. Few experiments were conducted during pre- and post-monsoon seasons of 2018. Drifters work on the Lagrangian principle, where they measure the current velocities along their paths driven by the surface currents. Error analysis of drifter measurements showed that they are capable of resolving surf zone motions very accurately. Strong rip currents were observed in few locations in the study area, where at times current velocities reached ~1 ms−1. Also, Rhodamine-B dye was released into the rip current prone zones along with the drifters and observed that the dye patches also followed the drifters. From these experiments, it has been observed that the rip currents are relatively strong during the post-monsoon season, which could be due to the change in the beach morphology. Similar experiments with more number of drifters would help in understanding rip current dynamics and would help in reducing rip current drowning in the beaches.
Research highlights
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GNSS based drifters have been designed, developed and field-tested to measure rip currents in the surf zone.
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Post-Processing Kinematic (PPK) resulted in position estimates with centimeter level accuracy.
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The drifters are capable to resolve the surf zone motions more accurately in the order of greater than 0.02 ms−1.
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Several drifter deployments and Rhodamine-B dye experiments were carried out at RK and Rushikonda Beaches to measure the dangerous rip currents and coastal currents.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC) – Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for his constant support and encouragement. The first author is thankful to the Deputy Director (EPSA), Group Director (GHCAG) and Head (GSD) for their suggestions and encouragement. The design of this drifter is made by Shri Rakesh Luhar at MESA/SAC and is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are equally thankful to the research scholars of Andhra University for assisting during the field campaign and the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) for its timely support and cooperation to conduct field campaigns. This work is supported under the collaborative SAMUDRA-TDP R&D project at SAC (ISRO), Andhra University and the N-PDF scheme of DST. The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped us to improve the manuscript significantly.
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Dr Arun Kumar has designed, developed the drifter, executed field deployments and edited the manuscript, Mr Sivaiah has reviewed the literature, prepared original draft and figures of the manuscript, Mr Venkateswarlu has revised the manuscript, Mr Gireesh and Mr Venkateswara Rao have assisted during the field deployments, Dr Sridevi conducted Rhodamine-B dye experiments, Prof Prasad has conceptualized the field deployment, provided guidance and logistic support and Dr Rashmi Sharma has provided overall support, guidance and funding to execute this project.
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Communicated by C Gnanaseelan
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Arun Kumar, S.V.V., Sivaiah, B., Venkateswarlu, C. et al. Investigation of rip current processes along Visakhapatnam beaches, east coast of India: A study based on GNSS drifters and dye experiments. J Earth Syst Sci 130, 72 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01579-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-021-01579-1