Environmental Groups Want Your King Tide Photos

If you go to the beach this Friday or Saturday, you will see some of the highest tides of the year, known as King Tides — which, according to local environmental groups, are also a glimpse of what you can expect to see in coming years as our sea levels continue to rise. In fact, King Tides are typically 5 to 8 inches above normal tide, but a study by the San Diego Foundation predicts mean sea levels will rise 12 to 18 inches by 2050.

In an effort to show how these water levels will continue to impact coastal property, infrastructure and wildlife habitats, residents are being asked to take photos of what they see, and then contribute them to the California King Tides Initiative, a collaboration by many environmental groups to build an online visual database that documents those effects. 

The statewide effort — which includes the Tijuana River National Research Reserve, San Diego Coaskeeper, WiLDCOAST, and Surfrider San Diego Chapter — aims to help policymakers understand what lies ahead as sea levels rise so they can take action now to protect key infrastructure as well as wetlands, beaches and public access to the coast.

“King tides demonstrate the power of visualization and give us a rare chance to see how higher sea levels and increased storm intensity could change our shoreline and impact our resources,” said Kristen Goodrich, Coastal Training Program Coordinator at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, in a news release from San Diego Coastkeeper. “One common sense approach to adapting to climate change impacts is to restore and protect wetlands, which function like natural sponges, buffering against rising sea levels, higher tides and increased storm and wave activity.” 

Anybody who would like to contribute photos to the California King Tides Initiative can do so by uploading their photos to the online gallery. Local environmental groups are focusing on getting images of the King Tides on Dec. 23 and 24, and again Jan. 20 through 22, and again Feb. 6 through 8.

Residents are being asked to photograph areas that are known to flood, and areas where high water levels can be gauged against sea walls, jetties, bridge supports or dikes. The photos — especially before and after shots — will help environmental groups identify and catalog coastal areas that vulnerable to tidal inundation.

When photos are uploaded, residents should include their contact information, notes about where the photo was taken, and the date and time the photo was taken.

The California King Tides Initiative was launched last winter, and more than 300 photos were contributed to the database, which you can now view online.

For more information about the project, visit californiakingtides.org.