Effects of wave-current interaction on rip currents

[1] The time evolution of rip currents in the nearshore is studied by numerical experiments. The generation of rip currents is due to waves propagating and breaking over alongshore variable topography. Our main focus is to examine the significance of wave-current interaction as it affects the subsequent development of the currents, in particular when the currents are weak compared to the wave speed. We describe the dynamics of currents using the shallow water equations with linear bottom friction and wave forcing parameterized utilizing the radiation stress concept. The slow variations of the wave field, in terms of local wave number, frequency, and energy (wave amplitude), are described using the ray theory with the inclusion of energy dissipation due to breaking. The results show that the offshore directed rip currents interact with the incident waves to produce a negative feedback on the wave forcing, hence to reduce the strength and offshore extent of the currents. In particular, this feedback effect supersedes the bottom friction such that the circulation patterns become less sensitive to a change of the bottom friction parameterization. The two physical processes arising from refraction by currents, bending of wave rays and changes of wave energy, are both found to be important. The onset of instabilities of circulations occurs at the nearshore region where rips are ‘‘fed,’’ rather than offshore at rip heads as predicted with no wave-current interaction. The unsteady flows are characterized by vortex shedding, pairing, and offshore migration. Instabilities are sensitive to the angle of wave incidence and the spacing of rip channels.