Conference Focuses on Great Lakes Rip Currents

May 31, 2006

The third Great Lakes Rip Current Conference will be held on June 6 in Manitowoc, WI. The annual conference is organized to share scientific and public awareness information about these life-threatening currents that periodically form on some Great Lakes shorelines.

Conference presentations and discussions will benefit people that operate parks or facilities along the Great Lakes and law enforcement and rescue personnel who aid rip current victims. Topics include:

• Rip current science and prediction
• Rip currents in the Duluth area of Lake Superior
• Case studies
• Strategies for educating the public
• Research and awareness discussion

The conference coincides with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Rip Current Awareness Week (June 4-10). By focusing research and public attention on rip currents, NOAA expects to reduce related fatalities.

Co-sponsors of the conference include Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota Sea Grant Programs, the National Weather Service, and others.

Registration is $25. For more information and registration, contact Gene Clark with Wisconsin Sea Grant, (715) 394-8472 or gclark1@uwsuper.edu.