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Beach Safety Research

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Coastal Science

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

Each year, hundreds of people drown and tens of thousands more are injured or rescued on beaches globally. A recent and growing field of coastal science involves studies specifically related to beach hazards and beachgoer safety. This multidisciplinary beach safety research has improved our understanding of the physical and social factors behind common beach hazards and has aided water safety practitioners, governments, and tourism agencies in developing education and awareness strategies for beach user safety.

Introduction

Beaches along both oceanic and lacustrine shorelines are a major recreational destination for millions of people worldwide each year. However, due to a range of hazards and physical and social factors, there is always some level of risk of drowning or injury for those who enter the water for recreational purposes. Due to an overall lack of consistent, accurate, and reliable incident reporting, the total numbers of beach drownings, injuries, and rescues...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Robert W. Brander

Authors
  1. Robert W. Brander
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert W. Brander .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Asheville, NC, USA

    Charles W. Finkl

  2. Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Coconut Creek, FL, USA

    Christopher Makowski

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Brander, R.W. (2019). Beach Safety Research. In: Finkl, C.W., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93806-6_40

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