A file photo of a King Tide in Lincoln City, Oregon.
Courtesy OregonKingTides.Net
This week, the Oregon Coast is expecting a series of King Tides, which are the highest tides of the year.
The term is non-scientific and refers to when the moon, sun and Earth align at their closest points and the gravitational pull on the Earth is the greatest.
Meg Reed is with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. The group runs Oregon’s arm of the international King Tides Project, which documents the impacts over time of high-tide events. Reed encourages people to help the project, as long as they are above and away from the water.
“If you do have a safe place to look at them, take a photograph showing the extent of high water. And really against a recognizable landmark is really helpful, so something like a sign, or a dock, or something where you can kind of tell how high the water level is,” she told KLCC.
Reed said this is the 13th year of the Oregon King Tides Project. The dataset they’ve collected has helped them develop a planning guide, which provides potential adaptation strategies for predicted sea level rise.
King Tides are expected Thursday through Saturday. Reed advises to check tide tables at your location for exact times.