Investigation of Rip Current Hazard of Samsun-Atakum Coasts; Samsun-Atakum Kıyılarının Rip Akıntı Tehlikesinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Rip currents are a global coastal hazard, causing thousands of deaths worldwide each year. Many drowning cases occur in Turkey, especially on the Black Sea coasts, due to rip currents in the summer months. Atakum district of Samsun is the region that attracts the most tourists in the summer months of the Central and Eastern Black Sea Region with its geographical location, coast, and facilities. However, it is one of the beaches where rip currents are much experienced in Turkey. Although remote sensing has a very important potential in terms of research on rip current hazard, there are very few studies in the literature. With this study, rip currents were determined from 22 high-resolution satellite images accessed via Google Earth Pro between 2007-2021 in Atakum, and the rip current hazard of the area was examined. Rip currents were detected in 9 of the 22 images, and rip currents occurred on 3 or more dates in 10 locations. As a result of the study, it was determined that Samsun-Atakum is critical in terms of rip current hazard. The study also revealed that high-resolution satellite images have a high potential in determining the rip current hazard. © 2022, Ankara University. All rights reserved.