Category Archives: beach safety

Bacterial pollution affects Oregon beaches

Posted on by

Oregon’s beaches are relatively clean by national standards, but they show sporadic hot spots of bacterial pollution at some popular destinations.

So concludes a study led by Oregon Sea Grant Extension agent Frank Burris.

“It’s definitely human-related,” Burris said. “It’s a significant problem. It’s really Oregon’s biggest beach problem.”

Read the entire article.

Oregon Sea Grant’s Rob Emanuel, writing in his own blog, offers some tips for coastal visitors and property owners for reducing their contribution to the problem.

Documentary Preview: Dan Cox

Posted on by

Dan Cox is the director for the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Lab at Oregon State University.  This bonus footage was recorded for the film Reaching Higher Ground: Oregon Sea Grant’s Tsunami Research and Community Engagement, which has been released to DVD and is available to view for free online.  In this short video clip (which does not appear in the film), Cox explains why the city of Seaside was chosen for developing a 1:50 scale model to flood repeatedly with scale-size tsunami waves.  You can learn more about the project here.

Transcript is available at above link

Rip Currents Could Play Role in Increased Coastal Erosion

Posted on by

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Amid growing concern about rising sea levels triggered by global warming, Oregon Sea Grant researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) are discovering that rip currents might play a role in coastal erosion because they create rip embayments, or low areas on sandy beaches, that expose nearby land to higher rates of erosion by wave activity.

(Read more …)

Beach safety videos free, on-line

Posted on by

The Oregon coast can be a risky place if you’re not used to it – especially if your idea of “beach” involves splashing around in warm, shallow water and gentle waves. Learn how to avoid some of the biggest threats – treacherous rip currents that can sweep swimmers out to sea, and massive logs that can get tossed like toothpicks by the surf – with on-line versions of from our new video, Beach Safety Basics. (Flash player required)
View these and other video clips here.

New on DVD: Beach Safety Basics

Posted on by

Beach Safety BasicsJust in time for vacation season, two new, short videos from Oregon Sea Grant address two of the most common safety hazards associated with the Pacific Northwest coasts: rolling logs and rip currents. All too often, visitors to our beaches are unfamiliar with the dangers of playing on large logs that may roll in the surf, or powerful rip currents which can pull swimmers out to sea. The two videos contained on this DVD explain these hazards and how to avoid or respond safely to them, using interviews with experts to emphasize key insights.

The videos are intended for use wherever coastal visitors congregate, including coastal museums,visitor centers, hotels, motels, campgrounds, and local cable TV stations.

Available  for $6.95 per copy plus $2 shipping and handling: