Submitted by Friends of the San Juans

Do you have a digital camera or camera phone? If so, help local and regional researchers capture this year’s king tides.

Join Friends of the San Juans and king tide volunteers from the community and across the globe to document the year’s highest tides by taking shoreline photos.

A “king tide” is the highest predicted high tide of the year at a given coastal location. These highest tides occur naturally when the sun and the moon align, increasing the gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans. This only happens one to two times per year.

By sharing pictures, you will help the community see the future. Visualizing sea level rise can help locals understand future impacts and how to plan for them. Friends of the San Juans will compile and share these pictures as one part of ongoing efforts to promote habitat friendly sea level rise adaptation throughout the islands.

King tides are predicted for the mornings of Dec. 5 through 9 and Jan. 3 through 7 and volunteers are needed to capture images from across the island. Images with some recognizable feature such as a road, unique rock or tree, a recognizable public place or building are the most effective. If possible, take a photo from the same vantage point at an average high tide or even a low tide. Send your pictures to tina@sanjuans.org with information on when and where the pictures were taken.

Always remember — safety is more important than an image, so use caution in high waves.

Learn more at sanjuans.org/2017/11/30/kingtides.