King tides

Posted by Ken Campbell February 28, 2011 0 Comment 914 views

If it seems like the high tides are higher than you’re used to seeing, it’s because they are. “King tides,” they are called, and the big ones, while predictable, are becoming more extreme. The gravitational pull of the sun and moon line up at certain points of the year and the result of their combined effect is higher water events.
The wild card, if you will, is climate change. We know when the largest tidal exchanges are coming, but we don’t know precisely how high they will go before they fall back once again.
Sea levels have risen 8 inches since the mid-1800’s and continue to rise more quickly every year. By 2100, sea level in Puget Sound is expected to be about 4 feet higher than it is now. On the coast, up to about 3 feet, maybe a bit more. That’s a lot. That will, if indeed it comes about, will change the shape of our state (country, continent, planet), immensely.
My house will not be here then. Hell, these king tides almost wash our floors as it is; four more feet and they’ll be splashing our rafters.

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