National Media Event: May 24, 2004

Sea Grant Remarks: Carey

This partnership among NOAA Sea Grant, NOAA National Weather Service, and the United States Lifesaving Association serves as a model of how organizations can collaborate effectively to translate research findings into results that benefit the public. And that’s what NOAA Sea Grant really is all about. Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 30 university-based programs. Our programs are located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, and involve over 3,000 scientists, outreach experts, and students. As NOAA’s principal liaison with universities on coastal issues, Sea Grant plays a critical role in funding applied research and then delivering the results of that research to people through a dedicated network of extension agents, communicators, and educators.

Over the past 20 years, Sea Grant has funded rip current research at many of the nation’s premier universities. Coastal scientists are working to increase our understanding of rip currents through a variety of techniques including field experiments in the surf zone, laboratory experiments in wave tanks, and mathematical and computer modeling. Through these laboratory and field research projects, we have learned that rip currents can be found on many surf beaches every day and rip current speeds can vary. Under certain wave, tide and beach conditions rip currents can quickly become dangerous to anyone entering the surf. Average rip current speeds of 1-2 feet per second can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea. And rip currents have been measured as fast as 8 feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer can sprint.

It’s critical that the scientific findings of these research efforts aren’t shelved with dissertations and scientific papers -- Sea Grant synthesizes science-based information and gets it to those who need it. An example of this is the rip-current technical workshop that NOAA’s Sea Grant and National Weather Service convened in Florida last month. The workshop improved communication between research scientists and forecasters and helped to identify data gaps, partnership opportunities and future research needs that will enhance and improve rip current prediction and forecasting.

Over the past 25 years, Sea Grant programs have worked to increase public awareness of rip currents through multiple, diverse outreach efforts designed to help local residents and visitors familiarize themselves with rip currents and avoid these dangerous coastal hazards. Sea Grant programs around the country are continuing their work to educate the public and translate rip current research results into operational forecasts. Through coordination of local beach patrols and research scientists, we have developed programs to obtain site specific and regional data on rip current development and behavior. Nearshore wave, wind, and current data are obtained through observation and instrumentation, and are correlated with rip current rescue information. As an example, in my own state we’ve establish the Delaware Atlantic Rip Current Project, a partnership between Sea Grant, local beach patrols, and the Mt. Holly Weather Forecast Office. The collaboration has enhanced the National Weather Service Surf Zone Forecast by providing forecasters with wave and rip current observations from trained lifeguards stationed along the Delaware coast.

From sponsoring timely, high-quality research to extending its results to America ’s citizens through public education programs such as this nation-wide effort, NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program is focused on finding solutions. We’re proud to join forces with the National Weather Service and USLA for this national, unified campaign because we know that targeted outreach efforts can save lives. Working together on rip current research and awareness, we can continue to “bridge the gap” among government, academia, scientists, and citizens with the ultimate goal of improving public safety.