Jamie Mooney, Coastal Resource Specialist and NOAA PMEL Liaison, Washington Sea Grant
During the next week the full moon associated with the summer solstice will bring extreme high tides called King Tides to our coast. The term ‘King Tide’ is a non-scientific term used to describe naturally occurring, exceptionally high tides that take place when the sun and moon’s gravitational pull align making the oceans “bulge.” While the King Tides during the summer are not as large as winter King Tides, these exceptionally high tides depict what could be the new normal as sea level rise progresses. This June high tide event marks a good opportunity to select your favorite locations to photograph both now and in December to compare!
Photos taken during king tide events document impacts to private property, public infrastructure, and wildlife habitat across the state, highlighting areas most vulnerable to sea level rise. We want to continue capturing what happens during extreme high tides, and we need your help to do it! Be safe! Take extra precautions when you walk on slippery areas or near big waves, and always be aware of your surroundings and the weather conditions.
Please participate in the Washington King Tides initiative by photographing these high tide events and uploading them to Flickr!
To participate:
• Find a convenient location along a shoreline.
• Check NOAA tide predictions for the specific daily high tide closest to that location: http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=259
• Record the date, time, and location of each picture.
• Go to www.flickr.com to sign up for a free account, if you don’t already have one.
• Join the Washington King Tides Photo Initiative Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1611274@N22/
• Edit each photo in Flickr to include in the description, date, time, direction facing, and any recognizable structure or location.
• Add pictures to the Washington King Tides Group.
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Washington High Tides |
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| Location | Tuesday June 25 | Wednesday June 26 | Thursday June 27 |
| Westport | 2:19 am, 10.46 ft | 3:11 am, 9.95 ft | 4:03 am, 9.19 ft |
| Port Angeles | 3:13 am, 7.51 ft | 4:08 am, 6.87 ft | 7:43 pm, 6.89 ft |
| Friday Harbor | 8:43 pm, 8.63 ft | 9:21 pm, 8.64 ft | 9:57pm, 8.58 ft |
| Seattle | 8:09 pm, 12.54 ft | 8:52 pm, 12.59 ft | 9:34 pm, 12:51 ft |
| Tacoma | 8:13 pm, 12.98 ft | 8:57 pm, 13.04 ft | 9:40 pm, 12.98 ft |
| Olympia | 8:54 pm, 16.18 ft | 9:37 pm, 16.24 ft | 10:19 pm, 16.14 ft |
- Please visit this link for general national King Tide Initiative information, with a WA website coming soon! http://kingtides.net/