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How do king tides, El Niño, storm surge, and sea level rise interact?
“King tide” is a non-scientific term for the highest predicted astronomical tides of the year. Tides are caused by the gravitational pull between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. When all three are lined up and a bit closer together than usual as part of normal monthly and yearly cycles, we get higher high tides and lower low tides.
El Niño is a natural climate cycle of warmer ocean water in the Pacific Ocean off of South America. In California, this can temporarily raise sea levels and cause more frequent and intense storms, rainfall, and high waves. El Niño winters often see actual water heights exceeding king tide predictions, increasing flood risk.
Global sea level is rising because when we burn fossil fuels we increase carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which acts like a blanket to trap in heat that would otherwise escape. As our Earth and ocean heat up, sea level rises as warmer water takes up more space and glaciers and ice sheets melt into the ocean. Sea level rise and climate changes from global heating amplify damaging coastal impacts of otherwise natural cycles. The California King Tides Project asks the question, what will our coast look like when the king tides of today become our everyday high tides? As we prepare for and respond to this year’s El Niño, what will the El Niño of 2046 look like?
Join other Californians in safely documenting this season’s highest tides with the California King Tides Project. The next photo project dates are November 24-26, December 23-25, and January 21-22. Some northern California locations may also include December 22, January 20, and/or January 23. Learn more.
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