A Pause: King Tide Photo Pool

From the Bay Area King Tide Photo Initiative on Flickr:

King Tides (also known as perigean spring tides) are extreme high tide events that occur when the sun and moon’s gravitation forces reinforce one another at times of the year when the moon is closest to the earth. They happen twice a year, but they are typically more dramatic during the winter.

While tides are not affected by climate change, the climate and weather do influence coastal sea levels through storm surges, the El Niño/La Niña-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) cycles and other factors. Whttp://www.flickr.com/groups/bayareakingtides/pool/hen combined with high tides (especially King Tides) these conditions can cause widespread damage due to flooding and erosion, a risk that will increase with sea level rise.

What is the King Tide Photo Initiative?
Seasonal high tides occurring within the San Francisco Bay and along the outer coast on January 19th and 20th and February 16th to 18th will provide a preview of what residents might experience regularly in the future as a result of rising sea levels. We invite you to participate in the “King Tide” photo initiative. This is the first year for the initiative in the Bay Area. Its objectives are to:

1. Identify and catalogue 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. 

This initiative is part of a West Coast partnership with Washington State (website, flickr) and others in Oregon and British Columbia (website, flickr).

 

 

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A Pause is a regular feature of the Open Space Council's blog where we take a moment to step back to consider a word, an idea or a photograph.  Past Pauses can be found here, here and here.