Rip tide

"Riptide" redirects here. For other uses, see Riptide (disambiguation).

Rip tide or riptide, also known as an ebb jet or tidal jet, is a strong tidal flow of water within estuaries and other enclosed tidal areas.[1] The term "rip tide" or "riptide" is often incorrectly applied to rip currents, which are not tidal flows.

The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration comments:

"Rip currents are not rip tides. A specific type of current associated with tides may include both the ebb and flood tidal currents that are caused by egress and ingress of the tide through inlets and the mouths of estuaries, embayments, and harbors. These currents may cause drowning deaths, but these tidal currents or tidal jets are separate and distinct phenomena from rip currents. Recommended terms for these phenomena include ebb jet, flood jet, or tidal jet."

The term "ebb jet" would be used for a tidal current leaving an enclosed tidal area, and "flood jet" for the equivalent tidal current entering it.

References

  1. ↑ NOAA, National Weather Service, Rip Current Safety, Rip Current Science, Miscellaneous/General information, Rip Currents vs Rip Tides, accessed 2014-7-12
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