King Tides Project, Bonus Round

Beach at Manzanita during a king tide.\Photo by Roger Campana.

Ordinarily, the King Tides Project, through which volunteer photographers document the highest tides of the year, focuses on the three highest tide series during each winter.  This year, we’ve already passed the first series in November, and the second round is coming up Jan. 10-12, with the final round set for Feb. 8-10. 

This winter, though, there are four major high tide series.  For the formal project regime, we skipped the set of high tides coming Dec. 24-26, since there is just a bit of conflict with other activities during that period.  Still, there will be impressive high tides, especially on the 24^th and 25^th.  If you want to get away from holiday festivities and get outside on those days, consider taking photos showing the highest reach of the tides.  On the central coast, the peak of the tide on the first day will be shortly after 10 a.m., although this can vary somewhat depending on where you are.  High tides will then be progressively later on the next two days.

The King Tides Project reveals areas currently prone to flooding, but more important, gives us a preview of the coast in coming decades as sea level rises due to climate change.

See our article on the project on this website, mark your calendars, and plan to participate. Information on how to participate, find tide tables, and post photos can be found on the project’s website, http://www.oregonkingtides.net/. 

The results from previous years are available for view on a special Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/90112147@N04/albums

For information about the project, contact Jesse Jones, CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, (503) 989-7244, jesse@oregonshores.org.