Context:
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have embarked on a project to continuously monitor and issue operational forecast alerts of rip currents.
Relevance:
GS I: Geography
About Rip Currents:
- Definition: Strong flows of water running from a beach back to the Open Ocean, sea, or lake.
- Coastal Hazards: Among the most well-known coastal hazards on beaches worldwide.
Formation:
Beach Topography Influence:
- Formed by the topography of a beach, whether it’s hard-bottom (rocky) or soft-bottom (sand or silt).
- Includes both outside and inside water areas, encompassing dunes, marshes, sandbars, piers, and reefs.
- Rip currents often form around gaps between sandbars, piers, or parts of a reef.
Wave Obstacles:
- Underwater obstacles, like sandbars, piers, and reefs, block waves from washing directly back to the sea.
- Feeder waves, water from these waves, run along the shore until finding an opening around the obstacle.
Function:
- Object Movement: Rip currents do not pull a person down or hold them underwater.
- Floating Objects: They carry floating objects, including people, just beyond the zone of breaking waves.
-Source: The Hindu
