Sensitivity of rip current forecasts to errors in remotely-sensed bathymetry

Operational nearshore current forecasts based on numerical model simulations are gaining popularity as a measure to increase the safety of swimmers. Applying remotely-sensed bathymetry in these model simulations is often proposed in order to cope with rapidly changing nearshore bathymetry. Errors in the remotely-sensed bathymetry may negatively affect performance of the hydrodynamic model. Hence, this study aims to determine the sensitivity of modelled nearshore currents (with a strong focus on rip currents) to errors in remotely-sensed bathymetries.