Do you have a digital camera or camera phone? If so, 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. See below for this season’s King Tides (December 4 – January 7). Images with some recognizable feature such as a road, unique rock or tree, a recognizable public place or building are the most effective (like the one of Crescent Bay Road on Orcas Island above). If possible, take a photo from the same vantage point at an average high tide or even a low tide.
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 one to two times per year. Click here to learn more about the science of how the high tides happen and what they show us.
Send your pictures to [email protected] with information on when and where the picture was taken. By sharing your pictures you will help our community see the future. Visualizing sea level rise can help us understand how to reduce future impacts. 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.
2017-18 Winter King Tides:
| Date | Approximate Time* | Predicted High Tide**
(FT. MLLW) |
| December 4, 2017 | 6:30am | 8.5 |
| December 5, 2017 | 7:00 am | 9 |
| December 6, 2017 | 8:00 am | 9 |
| December 7, 2017 | 9:00 am | 9 |
| December 8, 2017 | 10:00 am | 9 |
| December 9, 2017 | 10:30 am | 9 |
| December 10, 2017 | 11:00 am | 8.5 |
| December 21, 2017 | 8:00 am | 8.5 |
| December 22, 2017 | 9:00 am | 8.5 |
| December 23, 2017 | 9:30 am | 8.5 |
| January 3, 2018 | 7:00 am | 9 |
| January 4, 2018 | 8:00 am | 9 |
| January 5, 2018 | 8:30 am | 9 |
| January 6, 2018 | 9:00 am | 9 |
| January 7, 2018 | 10:00 am | 9 |
*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
