Study Description
Observational data began being collected for this study on June 1st 2008 and will continue through early September. The study is taking place at Kill Devil Hills beach, which is a 5 mile stretch of beach along North Carolina's Outer Banks. This site was chosen for the study because of its location relative to Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility (roughly 10 miles to the north), and the willingness of the KDH Ocean Rescue Dept. to help in making observations.
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The main scientific goal of this research is to improve our understanding of surf zone processes, namely rip currents and strong shorebreak events through the analysis of surf zone observations, nearshore bathymetry and directional wave data. Emphasis is being placed on the relationship between these processes and the risk they pose to human safety. Most notably, working with life saving agencies to develop an improved beach hazard predictive index or model. Here you can find a complete description of the motivation behind this study.
The study is divided into 4 general areas of interest. For more information please follow the links below.
Rescue Data Analysis
Directional Wave Data
Nearshore Bathymetry
Surf Zone Observations
