Baykeeper Field Investigator Cole Burchiel is busy planning for our annual aerial survey of the King Tides in the Bay.
These extra-high tides occur every year when the earth's orbit aligns at its closest point to the sun and moon, resulting in extra gravitational pull. This natural phenomenon isn't caused by sea level rise—but a King Tide can provide a preview of which parts of the Bay Area are especially vulnerable to flooding from high water levels.
Documenting the range and intensity of these annual high tides can help predict the impacts of sea level rise on vulnerable shoreline sites in coming decades.
The upcoming King Tides will occur on January 10-12 and February 8-9. Cole is working with our drone partners, Autonomous Imagery, to plan the flight path. Then we'll take a flight with our LightHawk pilot volunteers to monitor the tides' effect on shoreline areas.
Photo of the 2018 King Tides by Robb Most
