King Tides Could Preview Sea Level Rise
Gretchen Weber
KQED
01/18/2011
This week, seasonal high tides, known as "King Tides" will roll into the Bay Area, providing a preview of what the region might face if sea level rises over the coming decades as predicted.
So the organizers of the Bay Area King Tide Photo Initiative want you to grab your camera and help document the tides. The San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) has set up a Flickr site for the photos, where participants can upload their "before, during, and after" shots.
Organizers say the idea is to:
1. Identify and catalog coastal areas currently vulnerable to tidal inundation; and
2. Gather compelling graphics and pictures, so we can promote awareness of the specific potential impacts of sea level rise on the region to support climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Sea levels have risen about eight inches in the last century, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC) advises planners to prepare for a sea level rise of about 16 inches by mid-century and 55 inches by 2100. A rise like that could inundate 41 square miles of coastal land according to a 2009 Pacific Institute study.
Upcoming extreme high tides are expected to occur on January 19th (tomorrow) and 20th and on February 16th-18th.
