Do you have a digital camera or camera phone? If so, you can help local and regional researchers capture this year’s king tides!
Join Friends and King Tide volunteers from your community and across the globe to document the year’s highest tides by taking photos of your favorite local shorelines.
A “king tide” is the highest predicted high tide of the year at a given coastal location. These highest tides occur naturally when the sun and the moon align, increasing the gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans. This only happens a few times a year (for more info click here).
King tides are predicted for the mornings of December 25th through 9th and January 22nd through 26th. Volunteers are needed to capture images from across our island community. Images with some recognizable feature such as a road, unique rock or tree, a recognizable public place or building are the most effective. If possible, take a photo from the same vantage point at an average high tide or even a low tide. Send your pictures to [email protected] with information on when and where the pictures were taken.
By sharing your pictures you will help the community see the future. Visualizing sea level rise can help us understand future impacts and how to plan for them. Friends will compile and share these pictures as one part of our ongoing efforts to promote habitat friendly sea level rise adaptation projects throughout the islands.
*Always remember – your safety is more important than an image, so use caution in high wave or high water events.
|
Date |
Approximate Time* |
Predicted High Tide** (FT. MLLW) |
|
December 25, 2018 |
8:10am |
9.04 |
|
December 26, 2018 |
8:53 am |
9 |
|
December 27, 2018 |
9:35 am |
8.9 |
|
December 28, 2018 |
10:13 am |
8.78 |
|
December 29, 2018 |
10:50 am |
8.63 |
|
January 22, 2019 |
7:07 am |
8.95 |
|
January 23, 2019 |
7:41am |
8.93 |
|
January 24, 2019 |
8:15 am |
8.85 |
|
January 25, 2019 |
8:49 am |
8.73 |
|
January 26, 2019 |
9:21am |
8.58 |
*Note: times are approximate for Friday Harbor station, anytime from 1 hour before to 1 hour after approximate time appropriate for field photographs.
**Note: tidal elevations are NOAA predicted (not observed) tides. Additional factors such as low barometric pressure, wind waves, and/or the shape of a beach can increase tidal elevations above predicted levels.
Additional Resources:
Friends of the San Juans Sea Level Rise Resources
Washington Sea Grant King Tides Site
The WA Dept. of Ecology and WA Sea Grant photo sharing website
Tides, King Tides & Storm Events Article by Jefferson County WSU Extension
