Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
An "undertow" is a steady, offshore-directed compensation flow, which occurs below waves near the shore. Physically, nearshore, the wave-induced mass flux between wave crest and trough is onshore directed. This mass transport is localized in the upper part of the water column, i.e. above the wave troughs. To compensate for the amount of water ...
Undertow vs Riptide. Rip currents: These are narrow channels of fast-moving water that flow away from shore. Undertow: This is the general return flow of water towards the ocean floor after a wave ...
A rip current (or just rip) is a specific type of water current that can occur near beaches where waves break. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore by cutting through the lines of breaking waves, like a river flowing out to sea.
A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flow of water within estuaries and other enclosed tidal areas. The riptides become the strongest where ...
Here are some things to know about rip currents: What is a rip current? Rip currents are narrow columns of water flowing rapidly away from the beach, like a swift stream within the ocean. They don't pull swimmers under water, but can carry them out a fair distance from shore. Low spots along the beach, or areas near jetties or piers, are often ...
Rip currents can move anywhere from 1 to 2 feet per second up to even 8 feet per second, making it a very common danger for even the strongest of swimmers. Given the speed the current can move ...
Hurricane Lee is expected to cause dangerous rip currents and huge waves along the U.S. East Coast. Here’s what to know about rip current safety.
Current (hydrology) In hydrology, a current in a stream or other water body is the flow of water influenced by gravity as the water moves downhill to reduce its potential energy. The current varies spatially as well as temporally within the stream, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometry. In tidal zones ...