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LiveSmart BC

King Tide Photo Initiative

Flickr Slideshow of King Tide images in B.C., by LiveSmart BC and friends
 

The King Tide Photo Initiative captures images of coastlines around the world where infrastructure and ecosystems are vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise from climate change. LiveSmart BC is bringing together individuals and community groups along the BC coast to participate during the fourth annual King Tide season.

We encourage you to share your photos with our Flickr Group and to spread the word through social media. 

Get Started Now

  

Are you interested in organising a King Tide event in your community? Please contact the KingTidePhotos@gov.bc.ca to receive an organisers package.

Downloadable Posters (PDF): Letter Size (8½x11); Ledger Size (11x17)

* To participate in this initiative, you will need to upload your images to a Flickr account, which is free.
Click here for Full Instructions on how to upload your photos, including YouTube tutorials.

What is a King Tide?

King Tides (also known as perigean spring tides) are extreme high tide events that occur when the sun and moon’s gravitation forces reinforce one another at times of the year when the moon is closest to the earth. They happen twice a year, but they are typically more dramatic during the winter.

While tides are not affected by climate change, the climate and weather do influence coastal sea levels through storm surges, the ENSO and PDO cycles and other factors. Storms that occur during high tides can cause coastal flooding and erosion, a risk that will increase with sea level rise.

These King Tide occurrences offer us a chance to visualise what normal sea levels may look like in the future.

Global sea levels have risen approximately 20 cm since the industrial revolution. Even with immediate and dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, sea level rise is expected to accelerate and to potentially continue for centuries. This is due to the warming caused by the greenhouse gasses already in the atmosphere.
Climate change is expected to result in sea level rise of approximately 1 metre by the year 2100 on the British Columbia coast. The amount of sea level rise that will occur at any location along the coast will depend on global sea level rise and local factors such as vertical land movement (including tectonic movements, rebound and subsidence).

Sea level rise projections for BC are published in the report, Projected Sea Level Changes for British Columbia in the 21st Century.

King Tides in other Jurisdictions

BC's King Tide Photo Initiative is modelled after a similar project conducted by Australia’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water: A Snapshot of Future Sea Levels: Photographing the King Tide Event (PDF). The State of Washington’s Department of Ecology has also conducted similar documentation: Extreme High Tide Events.

Be sure to check out our North American partners-on-the-pacific King Tide groups on Flickr:

#SustyBC Twitter Chat

The Province hosted the first 2013 #SustyBC Twitter Chat on January 9, 2013 from 5pm-6pm. The topic was King Tides and Sea Level Rise.

View the conversation via the Storify summary below, or read the follow-up blog to learn more.