Study on Rip Current Generated by Submerged Breakwaters: Field Observation and Numerical Simulation

Abstract

Jetties and submerged breakwaters have been constructed at Gangmun beach, Korea, for the past several years in order to protect the beach and to secure the estuary channel. However, drowning accidents due to rip currents have often occurred in the gap between the jetty and the submerged breakwater. In this study, field observations and numerical simulations were performed to understand the mechanism of the rip current occurrences at Gangmun beach. The field investigation included the geomorphological change as well as the rip current occurrences. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out to find out the occurrence mechanism of the rip currents and the countermeasure for the rip current reduction. The results showed that the mean water level difference between the gap and the area behind the submerged breakwater induced the rip currents. The numerical model results also showed that the drainage channel in the submerged breakwater can reduce the rip current magnitude.