King tide floods coast, gives glimpse of future sea level rise – Orange County Record

Curtis Black, along with rescue company English Labs, negotiates an eroded section of Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, California on Thursday, February 8, 2024. Recent storms and high tides on Thursday xe2x80x99 have worsened conditions. (Photo by Paul Bercebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Huge high tides known as mega tides hit beaches on Friday, giving a glimpse of what future sea level rise could mean for coastal cities and beaches across California.

The California King Tides Project is asking people to document the coastline for a citizen science project aimed at giving decision makers a look at how to address sea level rise in the coming years.

Many beaches will be engulfed by salt water in the early morning hours on Friday, February 9, and tide heights will reach 6.6 feet at around 8 a.m.

The phrase “neap tides” is used to describe very high tides, which occur when there is an alignment of gravitational forces between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Officials with the California King Tides Project say the phenomenon is predictable and occurs several times a year, allowing documentation of vulnerable areas affected by rising sea levels.

When tides occur during floods or storms, water levels can rise to higher levels and can cause significant damage to the coastline and coastal properties. However, waves on Friday are expected to be small and flooding problems are likely to be minimal, although rising water levels due to recent rain may result in higher water levels over the port's seawalls and in the streets.

KC Fockler, education coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation North Orange County chapter, said he plans to photograph Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, an area he has been monitoring in recent weeks where sand has been eroded by recent large swell events.

He said he noticed that rocks that had been buried for decades were exposed due to high tides and storms that washed away the sand. The space available for dogs to have fun is shrinking; At high tide, all that's left is a piece of cheese for the dogs to play on.

“We need to be able to view history, for scientific reasons, that way we can look at these events and be able to measure what is happening,” he said. “Why is the beach eroding? And how can we protect it in the future? Do stronger storms create stronger waves and move sand away?”