San Francisco Bay will experience King Tides this month on February 16, 17 and 18. These extreme high tide events can provide a preview of the possible impacts of sea level rise caused by climate change.
Baykeeper will be out on the boat during King Tide, documenting high water levels around the Bay in order to establish a baseline for comparing future high tides. You can help expand the effort to document these high tide events by contributing photos of shorelines in your area. The Bay Area King Tides Photo Initiative is collecting geo-tagged photographs of high tide levels around the Bay to create a map of areas currently subject to tidal inundation and to build awareness of the threat of climate change. Learn more about the Bay Area King Tides Photo Initiative and how to contribute your photos.
It’s estimated that water levels in the Bay will increase as much as 16 inches by 2050. As water levels in the Bay rise, more and more shoreline areas will be subject to storm surge and regular flooding. Low-lying pollution sources – such as wastewater treatment plants, landfills and industrial facilities that are at or below sea level – will be at greater risk of contributing pollution to the Bay. Wetlands, which help to buffer increases in water levels and to filter pollution, are particularly at risk; read more about the threat of climate change impacts to wetlands here.