Amateur photographers needed to illustrate potential impacts of sea level rise
"King Tides" on February 17 highlight vulnerability of California's shoreline
Michael Sheehy, Marine Programs Director, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper (805) 563-3377 ext 2
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
02/15/2011
(Santa Barbara, CA) King Tides are higher-than-normal high tide events that happen when the moon is closest to the earth during a spring tide full moon. This week, some of the year’s highest tides will lash California’s coastal and bay shorelines, providing a glimpse of what the state can expect as sea levels rise in the coming years. A 2009 Pacific Institute report on sea level rise forecasts more than one foot of sea level rise by 2050 and four to five feet by 2100 along the California coast. California Coastkeeper Alliance and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper in conjunction with other environmental groups and government agencies throughout California are asking the public to help illustrate the potential impacts of rising sea levels by photographing this week’s King Tides at areas along our coast that are especially vulnerable to high sea levels. Areas already known to flood and areas where high water levels can be gauged against sea walls, jetties, bridge supports or dikes are of particular interest. Locally, these areas potentially vulnerable to high tides include (but are not limited to) Isla Vista beaches, Goleta Beach County Park, Leadbetter Beach, Butterfly Beach, Miramar Beach, Padaro Lane, Carpinteria Salt Marsh, Hobson State Beach, Faria, and Emma Wood State Beach.
Organizers expect King Tides from February 16-18th. Citizens are encouraged to get out their cameras and capture images particularly of the high tide on February 17 from 7:30-9 a.m. Participants can submit photos to www.flickr.com/groups/cakingtides. Photos from a similar effort in the Bay Area during the January King Tides event are available at www.flickr.com/groups/bayareakingtides.
The photos will help to identify and catalog coastal areas vulnerable to tidal inundation, to promote awareness of the potential impacts of sea level rise, help communities and policymakers visualize projected flooding, and inspire them to take action to protect homes, harbors, shoreline treatment plants, other key infrastructure, beaches, wetlands, and public access to the coast.
“Sea level rise poses a tangible threat to California’s economy, environment, and people. Nearly 500,000 people and $100 billion in properties along the California coast are vulnerable,” says Sara Aminzadeh, Programs Manager for California Coastkeeper Alliance. “These ‘King Tides’ illustrate the need for immediate action, rather than delay until inevitable impacts occur. One long-term solution is to restore and protect wetlands, which function like natural sponges to buffer against rising sea levels and increased storm and wave activity.”
Find more information about King Tides Initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, and Oregon at http://www.sfbaynerr.org/ctp/KingTides/.
View NOAA’s tide predictions for various locations at www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tides11/tab2wc1a.html#130.
