California
King Tides Initiative
A Partnership Project of the:
California Coastal Commission California Coastkeeper Alliance
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve
FRONT COVER IMAGES
A - Coastal flooding overtops The Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco. Photo taken near Pier 14 from the San Francisco Baykeeper boat on February 17, 2011 at approximately 11:00 am with a high tide of 6.65 feet.
B - Stairs to Nowhere Near Trancas, Photo by Santa Monica Baykeeper / Scott Chamberlin on February 17, 2011.
C - Flooding causes transportation issues near the Mill Valley/Stinson Beach off ramp from Highway 101 in Sausalito, California. Photo taken by Yana B on January 30, 2011 with high tide at approximately 6.35 feet.
A
B
FOREWARD
Many coastal communities already experience the inconvenience and frustration caused by king tides or seasonal tide events that flood streets and even damage some businesses and homes. A king tide is an especially high tide that occurs when solar and lunar gravitational pulls reinforce one another.
As a result of sea level rise caused by climate change, these extreme high-tide events are expected to become even more frequent in many areas where occasional coastal flooding is expected to morph into sustained coastal flooding. There are cost-effective steps we can take to mitigate these impacts—if we act sooner rather than later. Determining vulnerable areas is the first step. The 2011 California King Tides Initiative encourages members of the public to document the highest seasonal king tides that occur along the state’s coast. These photos not only help identify places that are vulnerable to sea level rise, they also can be used to build public awareness and develop initiatives to help our communities become proactive in preparing for future impacts of climate change.
While each photo is a powerful image illustrating the potential impacts of sea level rise, each one also demon-strates the power of individuals to make a difference. It is when individuals and communities work together with government that society will find the best solutions to the challenges presented by climate change.
Each participant in the 2011 California King Tides Initiative has my thanks.
Margaret Davidson
Director, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Mike Fox documents the king tide in Asilomar. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean Solutions on February 18, 2011.
Acknowledgements
The partnering agencies would like to acknowledge the contributions from all photogra-phers who submitted images of high tides in their local areas.
Editors
Heidi Nutters, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, (heidin@bcdc.ca.gov)
Laurel Kellner, California Coastal Commission, (lkellner@coastal.ca.gov) Both with support from The Baldwin Group
Contributors
Sara Aminzadeh, California Coastkeeper Alliance Tom Evans, National Weather Service
Kristen Goodrich, Tijuana River NERR
Kelley Higgason, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Marina Psaros, San Francisco Bay NERR
Bobak Talebi, San Francisco Bay NERR
Graphic Design
Yuki Kawaguchi, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission
Abbreviations
BCDC San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission CCC California Coastal Commission CCKA California Coastkeeper Alliance NERR National Estuarine Research
Reserve
NMS National Marine Sanctuaries NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Published September 2011
Contents
Foreward by Margaret Davidson of NOAA Coastal Services Center . . . 3
1. Climate Change and the King Tides: Making Sea-Level Rise Real . . . 7
2. Photographing the King Tides . . . 11
Humboldt and North Bay Region . . . 13
San Francisco Bay Area . . . 15
Monterey Bay Area . . . 17
Santa Barbara Area . . . 19
Los Angeles . . . 21
Orange County Area . . . 23
San Diego . . . 25
3. Lessons Learned . . . 27
4. Conclusions . . . 31
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE KING TIDES: MAKING SEA LEVEL RISE REAL
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative sought to engage and inspire the public on the topic of sea level rise and coastal hazards by communicating through photography and social networking. An essential part of identifying the potential impacts of sea level rise - and coming up with ways to address those impacts - involves working directly with coastal communities to visualize our changing shorelines. Looking at photographs of the extreme high tides of today can help us understand what our daily tides may look like in the future.
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative invited the public to engage with the topic of sea level rise and coastal hazards through photography and social media forums. The project launched in the winter of 2010/2011 and quickly grew beyond the initial focus on the San Francisco Bay Area to become a statewide effort. The California Coastkeep-er Alliance and California WatCoastkeep-erkeepCoastkeep-ers wCoastkeep-ere especially instrumental in making this happen. Anyone with a camCoastkeep-era could go out and document what extreme high tides looked like in their community. In doing so, participants could begin to imagine and share with others what daily tides may one day become in their neighborhood. The images not only provide a graphic depiction of coastal hazards associated with high waters, but also provide visual documenta-tion of the need for proactive planning to create resilient coastal communities today and into the future.
This report describes the 2011 California King Tides Initiative and shares photographs from people around the state that captured California’s dramatic, complex, and changing coastline. The document is a collaborative effort of the California Coastal Commission, California Coastkeeper Alliance, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-tion, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. What follows is a product of all of the people who participated in the 2011 California King Tides Initiative.
Today’s King Tides: Tomorrow’s High Tide?
Scientists estimate that sea level has risen seven inches along the California coast since 1900. Relative to sea level in 2000, sea level rise projections for the state range from 10 to 17 inches (about one foot) by 2050 and 31 to 69 inches (three to five feet) by 21001.
What is a King Tide?
An Australian term, “king tides” (also known as perigean spring tides) are extreme high tide events that occur when the solar and lunar gravitational forces reinforce one another at times of the year when the moon is closest to the earth.
1 Sea -Level Rise Task Force of the Coastal and Ocean Working Group of the California Climate Action Team. 2010. State of California Interim Sea-Level Rise Guidance Document 4
(2010), available athttp://www.slc.ca.gov/Sea_Level_Rise/.
High tide at a public pier on Balboa Island, Newport Beach. Photo taken by Randy Seaton on the South Bay-front near Opal Avenue on February 18, 2011 at 8:35 am.
Section 1
High tides, storm surges, and inland flooding will lead to greater impacts when combined with higher seas, potentially causing significant changes to the coast in less than one hundred years2,3. The king tides depicted in the photographs
that follow range from four to nine feet, providing a preview of what our coasts may look like in the future with sea level rise and high tides. An estimated 480,000 people and $100 billion worth of property in California—approxi-mately half of which are located in the San Francisco Bay Area—are potentially vulnerable to sea level rise which can be exacerbated by changes in precipitation and extreme weather events4. If no adaptation actions are taken in
Cali-fornia, damages across multiple sectors could result in “tens of billions of dollars per year in direct costs and expose trillions of dollars of assets to collateral risks.”5 What’s more, these figures are based on projections of sea level
rise that might be lower than what actually occurs. Average high tides of the future could be higher than currently predicted. If so, King Tides will also be more severe, causing greater impacts to our shores.
Project Goals and Objectives
The King Tides Initiative began in 2009 in Australia, and has since taken off in Washington and British Colombia, where similar efforts have garnered hundreds of photo submissions. Participants snapped pictures of high tides in their neighborhood and uploaded them to FlickrTM, a photo sharing website. The photos were geotagged, which means the photographers noted the location where the photo was taken on a map to give a sense of the areas cov-ered by the Initiative. Many people became interested in the effort and it expanded to other regions. The 2011Cali-fornia King Tides Initiative was inspired by these earlier efforts. Pictures captured from as far north as Humboldt Bay all the way down to San Diego showed many impacts of higher water, such as waves overtopping levees, flooded roads, and inundated natural areas. The images also depict the diversity of shoreline types that will require protection, restoration, retreat or rebuilding strategies as sea level rise occurs and other hazards become more frequent.
The 2011 California King Tides Photo Initiative had two main objectives:
1. To identify and catalog coastal areas currently vulnerable to tidal inundation; and
2. To gather compelling images that can be used by anyone to promote awareness of the potential impacts of sea level rise.
2 See California Climate Change Center, The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast (2009), available athttp://www.pacinst.org/reports/sea_level_rise/report.pdf 3 See California Natural Resources Agency, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: A Report to the Governor of California in Response to Executive
Order S-13-2008 (2009), available at http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CNRA-1000-2009-027/CNRA-1000-2009-027-F.PDF.
4 See California Climate Change Center, The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast (2009), available athttp://www.pacinst.org/reports/sea_level_rise/report.pdf.
See California Natural Resources Agency, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: A Report to the Governor of California in Response to Executive Order S-13-2008 (2009), available at http://www.energy.ca.gov/2009publications/CNRA-1000-2009-027/CNRA-1000-2009-027-F.PDF.
5 David Roland-Holst and Fredrich Kahrl, California Climate Risk and Response 5 (2008), available athttp://www.next10.org/research/research_ccrr.html.
Educating and Communicating Through Photography
How do you talk about sea level rise in a way that grabs people’s interest? The Initiative thought that photography would be great way to get people involved and raise awareness on the topic of sea level rise. The photos that re-sulted from this Initiative, many of which are presented in this report, tell a compelling story about the need to take action now to prevent future damage from sea level rise. Media coverage that highlighted the Initiative made use of the photos and also brought attention to the significant impacts that sea level rise is expected to have on our coastal communities and ecosystems.
The powerful images included here illustrate the potential impacts of rising sea levels. These photos create an easily accessible record that is available for everyone to use—now and into the future. In fact, the photographs from 2011 are being used today by news media, research groups, and non-governmental and governmental organizations in news articles, websites, presentations, and reports.
The success of the Initiative has built a strong foundation for future initiatives in the state, creating a framework to make the Initiative an annual event. Photographs from this year’s King Tide Initiative and future efforts may be used down the line to continue raising awareness and preparing communities for sea level rise.
Mother’s Beach, Marina del Rey. Photo taken by Aaron McLendon on
February 17, 2011 at approximately 7:35 a.m. Erin Loury contemplates the future of Capitola’s beaches during a king tide. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean Solutions on
February 18, 2011.
A B
C D
A - Sunset Boulevard, or the Pacific Coast Highway, provides public access to the coast. Photo taken by Aaron McLendon on February, 17, 2001 at approximately 8:20 a.m.
B - King Tide in Capitola, CA in Santa Cruz County. Photo taken by Center for Ocean Solutions, February 18, 2011. Approximately 5.98 ft. high tide.
C - Looking south from the coastal trail. Rodeo Beach, Marin. Photo
taken by Laura, January 19, 2011 at 10:15 am. D - Carbon Beach in Malibu. Photo taken by Aaron McLendon at 22126 Pacific Coast Highway public access way on
February 17, 2011 at approximately 8:45 a.m.
PHOTOGRAPHING THE KING TIDES
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative was launched by a partnership of state agencies and non-profit organizations. As a successful pilot effort, the Initiative created a rich and diverse archive of photographs that highlight the changes in California’s shoreline communities and ecosystems. The following section illustrates how the Initiative developed in different regions across the state and showcases some of the most powerful images captured.
In the 2011 King Tides Initiative, participants were encouraged to photograph extreme high tides that occurred on the dates of January 19th & 20th and February 16th to 18th.
Humboldt and North Bay Region
San Francisco Bay Area Monterey Bay Area
Santa Barbara Area Los Angeles Orange County Area
San Diego
Flooding on San Francisco’s Embarcadero could have devastating impacts. Photo taken by Jack Gregg at Pier 14 on January 19, 2011 with high tide at 11:20 am.
King Tides make the local news in Orange County. January 2010. Photo by Michael Goulding.
Section 2
Humboldt Baykeeper was one of the first groups in California outside of the Bay Area to launch a local King Tides Initiative. Humboldt Bay is the second largest estuary in California. The geographical reach of the Initiative’s effort in this region included Humboldt Bay, its tributaries, and the Pacific Coast between Trinidad Harbor to the north and the Eel River estuary to the south. Baykeeper and local partners hope that the photos, combined with locally-scaled sea level rise models, will inform local planning, including General Plan and Local Coastal Plan updates.
Potential impacts of sea level rise to the Humboldt Bay Area include the flooding of natural habitats such as wetlands, salt marshes, and eelgrass. Other hazards from higher waters include the increased possibility of levee and dike fail-ure and the flooding of contaminated sites around the bay. This topic is addressed in Behind The Levee, a 2011 North Coast Journal article by Heidi Walters. (see www.northcoastjournal.com/news/2011/01/27/behind-levee/3/).
Baykeeper staff and members, in addition to Coastal Commission staff, captured over 75 photos in the region. Many of the photos can be seen on the Humboldt Baykeeper website: (www.humboldtbaykeeper.org/get-involved/
volunteer/334-king-tide-photo-initiative.html) or the FlickrTM website: (www.flickr.com/groups/cakingtides/). Areas Impacted By
High Water
Eureka: Woodley Island, Indian Island (photographed from Highway 255 bridge), Del Norte Street Pier, Halvorsen Park/The Adorni Center. Arcata: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary (at the end of I Street). Central Hum-boldt Bay: King Salmon Beach. Manila/Samoa: locations along New Navy Base Road.
A structure surrounded by water at high tide. Looking north from Humboldt Bay Bridges on Route 255. Photo taken by Caltrans on February 18, 2011.
The Adorni Center and boat launch offers an example of infra-structure at risk of flooding. Photo taken by Humboldt Baykeeper on January 19, 2011 at 11:40 am with high tide at approximately 8.85 feet
Humboldt and North Bay Region
C D
C - Halvorsen Park and dock are at risk of flooding. Photo taken by Humboldt Baykeeper on January 19, 2011 at 11:45 am with high tide at approximately 8.85 feet.
D - Many miles of roadway are at risk of flooding, such as State Highway 255, pictured here. Photo taken by Humboldt Baykeeper on January 19, 2011 at 11:50 am with high tide at approximately 8.85 feet.
A B
A - Humboldt Bay near Manila. Photo taken by Caltrans on
February 18, 2011. B - Humboldt Bay near Manila, Humboldt Bay Bridges, Route 255. Photo taken by Caltrans on February 18, 2011
The San Francisco Bay Area King Tides Initiative was a collaborative effort led by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, California Coastal Commis-sion, and San Francisco Baykeeper.
Participation in the Initiative was high, with over 200 photos submitted from residents in the area. Photos covered the outer coast as well as the shorelines within the Bay, depicting a wide range of hazards to the built and natural en-vironment. Media from around the region featured stories on the Initiative, including a local story on ABC-Channel 7 News, and print stories by Bay Citizen and KQED.
Seawater floods public Pier 14 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. Photo taken by Mike Schweizer on February 17, 2011 just north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
“Slippery When Wet. Subject to Flooding” is all that can be read of the sign as high waters reach Pier 14 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. Photo taken by Jack Gregg on January 19, 2011 with high tide at approximately 6.84 feet.
San Francisco Bay Area
A B
C
A - Damon Slough in Oakland, CA sees high water on Edgewater Road. Photo taken by Wendy Goodfriend on February 17, 2011 two hours after high tide.
C - Radio Road is flooded at high tide. The paved route to the radio towers is located adjacent to the Bay Bridge in Alameda County. Photo taken by Sonjco on March 5, 2011.
B - Looking east from the foot of Pier 14, waves crash over public access to the San Francisco waterfront. Photo taken by Mike Schweizer on February 17, 2011 with high tide at approximately 6.65 feet. D - A parking lot in Sausalito is flooded by high tides. Photo taken by Yanna B. on January 30, 2011.
D
Areas Impacted By High Water
City of Capitola, downtown Santa Cruz, Aptos, Twin Lakes, the Pacific Coast Highway bridge crossings near Scott’s Creek Beach and Waddell Beach, the City of Monterey / Cannery Row, Reeside Access, Monterey State Beach, Del Monte Beach, Pajaro Dunes / Pajaro River Mouth, Moss Landing Harbor / Elkhorn Slough, Sand City, Pacific Grove, the Carmel City shorefronts, Addie Street / Pismo Creek (Pismo Beach).
King Tide in Capitola. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean
Solutions on February 18, 2011. King tide at Elkhorn Slough, Highway 1, in Moss Landing. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean Solutions on February 18, 2011.
For the Initiative, a number of excellent images were captured of the Monterey Bay Region. Although the area did not host a regional Initiative separate from that of San Francisco, those images tell a compelling story about the impacts of rising waters on the central coast of California and are thus presented here. Staff from California Coastal Commission and the Center for Ocean Solutions submitted photographs illustrating the impacts of high water on various types of shorelines in the area. Photographers focused on the Monterey Bay area and several other com-munities and natural areas in the region, such as Capitola, Aptos, and Elkhorn Slough. Over 20 photographs were submitted of the region. The images show the impacts of high waters in the area, such as coastal flooding, erosion, and shoreline protective devices that may negatively affect beaches and public access to the coast.
Monterey Bay Area
A - King tide comes close to the Best Western Beach Resort in terey. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean Solutions on February 18, 2011.
C - King tide at the Surfside Apartments, Monterey. Photo taken by the Center for Ocean Solutions on February 18, 2011.
B - King tide at the Best Western Beach Resort, Monterey. Photo taken
by the Center for Ocean Solutions on February 18, 2011.
A B
C
D - Waves come close to buildings and the highway at Monterey State
Beach. Photo taken by Jim Maldi on January 19, 2011 at 9:10 am.
D
Areas Impacted By High Tides
The Isla Vista beaches, Goleta Beach County Park, Leadbetter Beach, Butterfly Beach, Miramar Beach, Padaro Lane, Carpinteria Salt Marsh, Hobson State Beach, Faria, and Emma Wood State Beach.
The King Tides Initiative in the Santa Barbara Area was led by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper with a focus on the Santa Barbara Channel, and extending north to Point Conception, south to the Ventura River, and out to the four northernmost Channel Islands. Channelkeeper staff and members of the community took pictures of the king tides in January and February 2011 to depict multiple impacts on the Santa Barbara coastline.
As illustrated by the images, the potential impacts of sea level rise in the region include coastal erosion, inundated coastal habitats and flooded infrastructure.
Local media covered the Initiative, with a piece appearing in the Ventura County Star titled “Heightened awareness from heightened seas.” (http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/16/heightened-awareness-from-high-seas/)
Santa Barbara Area
Coastal erosion in Santa Barbara County: King tide at Miramar Beach facing West (Left) and East (Right). Photos taken by Lyn Wickham on February 18, 2011 at 10:50 am with the tide at 4.9 feet.
A B
A - King tide at Solimar Beach facing northwest. Photo taken by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper on February 17, 2011 at 8:30 am with the tide at 6 feet.
B - King tide at Faria Beach facing southeast. Photo taken by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper on February 17, 2011 at 8:30 am with the tide at 6 feet.
The Initiative in the Los Angeles Area was spearheaded by the Santa Monica Baykeeper and the California Coastal Commission with outreach to their staff and members, as well as the media and local policymakers. The local initiative focused on the Santa Monica Bay and surrounding communities, including Malibu, San Pedro Bay, and the rivers and streams that run through and underneath Los Angeles County. Projected sea level rise impacts to the region include accelerated coastal erosion, inundation of shoreline homes, ports, marinas and other infrastructure, and the loss of public access to beaches and coastal areas.
For the Initiative, Baykeeper sent out several electronic news announcements, posted information on Facebook, created a FlickrTM page for local photos, and sent out a press release. California Coastal Commission staff also
participated in developing outreach for the Initiative, identifying key areas to photograph, and submitting photos to the Flickr site. Over 100 photos were collected, and can be viewed at (http://www.flickr.com/groups/smbaykeeper/
and http://www.flickr.com/groups/cakingtides/). Coverage by the Los Angeles Times and KPCC Radio greatly
bol-stered the visibility and profile of the Initiative and of local sea level rise issues.
Los Angeles
A seawall is the only thing between high tide and a coastal home at Latigo Beach. Photo by Scott Chamberlin and Santa Monica Baykeeper.
High waters crash over a staircase leading to Latigo Shore. Photo by Scott Chamberlin and Santa Monica Baykeeper.
Areas Impacted By High Tides
Broad Beach, Malibu shore-line homes, Marina del Rey, the Port of Long Beach, and the Port of Los Angeles.
B
C
D A
B - Waves crash onto coastal homes at Malibu. Photo by Scott Chamberlin and Santa Monica Baykeeper.
C - High tide hits coastal homes on the
Southern Malibu Coast. Photo by Amy. D - High waters prevent access to Broad Beach. Photo by Scott Chamberlin and Santa Monica
Baykeeper. A - High water on Malibu Colony. Photo
taken by Santa Monica Baykeeper on February 17, 2011.
The Initiative in Orange County was led by the Orange County Coastkeeper, which focuses on the tri-county metropolitan areas of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. In this area coastal erosion competes with dense, high-value shoreline development and the coast is heavily armored in three predominately residential harbors. Sea level rise in the area has the potential to increase the construction of shoreline armoring to protect homes and other infrastructure. More—and bigger— seawalls built along the coastline over the next 20 years could negatively impact public access to beaches and other coastal areas. During the winter of 2010 and 2011, 25 photos were collected in support of the Initiative and local media covered the effort with an article appearing in the Orange County Register: “King tides: a global warming preview?”
Balboa Island in Newport Beach usually has a beach ten to twenty feet wide. Not so with a seven foot king tide (see following page). With the beach completely submerged, only a two-foot-high seawall keeps the Pacific Ocean from engulfing the island. Even for modestly high tides, the City of Newport Beach was forced to install tide gates on all of it’s storm drains—on Balboa Island and the Newport Peninsula—to prevent flooding from the sea. With sea level rise, seawalls may become the only line of defense for Newport.
Orange County Area
High tide threatens residential homes at Balboa Peninsula. Photo by August Lightfoot on February 17, 2011 at approximately 8 am.
Areas Already Impacted By High Tides
Beach/Sunset Beach Oceanfront located in the City of Seal Beach, Hun-tington Harbor located in Huntington Beach, and the Newport Beach islands and peninsula.
Waves come close to a trail at Dana Strand, near Salt Creek. Photo taken by jaguirre4 on February 6, 2011.
A B
D C
A - High water submerges a beach on Balboa Island near the the Auto Ferry Landing. Photo taken by Randy Seaton on February 18, 2011 at 8:39 am.
D - High tides hit Torrey Pines State Beach at Soledad. Photo taken on Feburary 17, 2011 at approximately 9:30 am.
B - Rising waters at Crystal Cove may affect roads and bridges. Photo taken on February 17, 2011 at approximately 8 am.
C - Erosion from rising waters is a threat to coastal roadways. Photo taken on February 17, 2011 at approximately 8 am.
The organizers of the Initiative in San Diego used models of how sea level rise will impact the area to help identify key locations for participants to take photographs of the king tides. Students from the New School of Architecture and Design took a unique approach in capturing before and after photos, visually communicating the impacts of higher waters. The Coastal Training Program at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach and San Diego Coastkeeper partnered to spread the word about the Initiative. The main goal was to raise awareness about the effects of sea level rise in local communities by capturing photos of what sea level rise may look like and develop support for adaptation approaches that can be taken to lessen the impact of sea level rise, including the restoration of wetlands as buffers. Media coverage enhanced the effort and San Diego Coastkeeper offered their boat to cruise around the bay and capture pictures of king tides from different perspectives.
Over 250 photos were taken in areas across the coastal county including La Jolla, Ocean Beach, San Diego Bay, Coro-nado, and Imperial Beach, and at sensitive natural areas, including the San Elijo Lagoon, South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Tijuana Estuary.
Plans are underway to involve local stakeholders in future Initiatives. Local organizers will encourage participants to take photos at future highest tide events and also capture low tides to truly create a robust picture of the impacts of sea level rise. Already photos have been utilized in regional reports and are planned to be used in several trainings for coastal decision-makers on how to prepare for climate change.
San Diego
The King Tides Initiative makes the local news.
Waves crash over sea walls near the Windan-sea Beach at Cortez Place in San Diego. Photo taken by San Diego Coastkeeper on February 17, 2001.
A
B
C
D
A - These photos show contrasting extreme low and extreme high tides at Paradise Valley Creek 9, south of 18th street. Photos taken by Jason Offineer, New School of Architecture on February 17, 2011 with high tide at 8 am and low tide at 2:55 pm.
C - High waters reach the east side of Silver Strand Boulevard. Photo taken by Kelly Phelps on February 17, 2011 with high tide occurring at 11 am.
B - The Otay River inundates a restoration site in the South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Photo taken by Lisa Cox on February 17, 2011 with high tide occurring at 11 am.
D - Important habitat for the endangered clapper rail is flooded at high tide. Chula Vista Nature Center, San Diego. Photo taken by Lisa Cox on
February 17, 2011 with high tide at 11 am.
LESSONS LEARNED
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative began with a regional focus on the San Francisco Bay Area and quickly grew to a state-wide initiative. Participation in this year’s Initiative was high with photographs submitted from geographi-cally diverse regions of the state. Through this pilot effort, we learned a number of helpful lessons on engaging the media, linking efforts, expanding the target audience, and photographing extreme low tides in contrast with high tides. Engaging the Media
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative received significant media coverage. The timely distribution of press releases and advisories focused on statewide media outlets, as well as those in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco. This coordinated effort resulted in coverage by more than 40 print, radio, and television outlets, including three National Public Radio stories, two Los Angeles Times stories, two radio pieces on the Bay Area station KQED and a Spanish-language television segment on Univision.
The impact of the Initiative was significantly amplified by the media coverage. Media outlets were able to use the Initiative to inform the public of ongoing climate change decision-making and the need for public action to prepare for impacts to coastal ecosystems and communities. For example, coverage by KQED’s Climate Watch referenced a process by the Ocean Protection Council6 to develop a statewide planning guidance for sea level rise. Los Angeles
television station KCET illustrated how images of the coast related to policy work on addressing climate change in Sacramento with the story “As King Tides Hit California’s Coast, State Bill Introduced to Address Rising Sea Level.”7
A front page story in the San Diego Union Tribune included a detailed map of how sea level rise would impact San Diego Bay.8 For the Initiative, working with the media to increase coverage and get the message out was key in
en-couraging broad participation. In future years, partners hope to better coordinate the efforts statewide and beyond and engage earlier with the media.
Section 3
6 Gretchen Weber, Photograph High Tides, Glimpse the Future?, KQED News, Feb. 15, 2011, available at http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2011/02/15/photograph-high-tides-glimpse-
the-future/.
7 Zach Behrens, As King Tides Hit California’s Coast, State Bill Introduced to Address Rising Sea Level, KCET, Feb. 18, 2011, available athttp://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/environ
ment/bill-introduced-to-address-planning-around-rising-sea-level-30559.html.
8 Mike Lee, Extreme Tides Offer Look at Rising Sea Levels, Sign On San Diego, Feb. 16, 2011, available athttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/16/king-tides-offer-look-rising-sea-
levels/.
Linking Efforts
The 2011 California King Tides Initiative effort in California resulted from a partnership of several organizations. Because of the regional focus, several different FlickrTM websites were created throughout the state. Many
partici-pants submitted their photographs directly to their regional FlickrTM website. Moving forward, the Initiative would
benefit from a more consolidated approach. Having one website and FlickrTM site at the annual launch of the Initiative
could enhance communications, streamline the message, and make it easier to participate in and evaluate the Initia-tive every year. Future efforts may explore the benefits of using advanced FlickrTM options or a different technology
platform that could allow for regional distinctions on one website. Reaching a Diverse National and International Audience
Future initiatives in California have the potential to reach a diverse national and international audience. The state-wide Initiative could be linked to similar national and international efforts and promoted to a broader audience through media and other outreach. The photographs, media coverage, and public involvement have the potential to play a role in discussions on sea level rise and climate change adaptation around the world.
Contrasting Photos of Extreme High and Extreme Low Tide
Photographs of the same locations at extreme high tide and extreme low tide help the viewer get a better under-standing of the impacts of high water on the areas being photographed. Photos taken at extreme low tide may show elements that are completely submerged at high tide and having these photos side by side can better illustrate the impacts of high water levels. Future Initiatives may encourage photographers to submit photos of extreme low tide in addition to extreme high tide.
Offer Ways to Take Action
The Initiative gets people out to coasts and shorelines to take pictures of high tides. People were able to engage by taking photos, seeing them and witnessing the media coverage. All of these opportunities raised awareness of sea level rise and other coastal hazards. Future Initiatives could go a few steps further in promoting action on preparing for sea level rise and coastal hazards by offering a means for people to get more engaged in state and local adapta-tion processes. Strategies might include directing people from the FlickrTM website to other relevant projects and
resources as they emerge. These additional contacts might include groups working on climate or hazard planning, academic institutions, climate researchers, non-governmental or governmental organizations, elected and appointed officials, and members of the private sector.
A
B
C
A - Pacifica Pier - looking north, 2/17/11 - 3:40pm, -0.7’ low tide. Taken from the Chit Chat Cafe on the pier by Stan Jensen.
C - Mother’s Beach, Marina del Rey. Photo taken by Aaron McLendon on February 17, 2011 at approximately 7:35 am.
B - King Tides reach the location of the Golden Gate NOAA Tide Gauge, near the mouth of the San Francisco Bay. Photo taken by Kelley Higgason in January 2011.
D
D - Comparison of low and high tides on Pier 14. Photos taken by Mark Johnson on February 1, 2011 and
January 20, 2011.
A - Waves crash against a staircase at Latigo Shore in Malibu. Photo taken by Santa Monica Baykeeper on February 17, 2011.
C - Highway 1 sees a high tide near Surfers Beach in Granada. Photo taken by Jack Sutton on January 19, 2011 at 9:02 am at mately 6.5 foot tide.
B - High tide brings waves dangerously close to homes at Capitola Beach
in Capitola. Photo taken by Susan Hillyard on February 17, 2011.
A B
C
D - A dramatic shoreline at high tide. Near Gray Whale Cove State Beach,
Montara, CA. Photo taken by Jack Sutton on February 18, 2011 at 10:25 am, with approximately 8 foot swells at 6.1 foot high tide.
D
Section 4
CONCLUSIONS
The King Tides Initiative helps us visualize the impact of rising sea levels by creating a public catalog of photographs taken at extremely high tides. Anyone can use this living record to show how higher waters will affect our coasts and shorelines. The images can also be used to illustrate the importance of planning for changing conditions. Through an inclusive approach that invites all members of the public to participate, the Initiative helps grow the community of people concerned about our coasts and offers broad support for ongoing and future efforts to address the impacts of rising waters.
Visualizing Rising Sea Levels
The photographs from the King Tides Initiative help us visualize the impact of rising waters on the California coast. Our shores are constantly being altered by human and natural processes and projections indicate that sea level rise will exacerbate these changes. The images offer a living record of the changes to our coasts and shorelines and a glimpse of what our daily tides may look like in the future as a result of sea level rise.
Communicating on High Tides and Sea Level Rise
Future communications about the King Tides Initiative will benefit from the early, clear, and repetitive messaging on the distinctions between king tides and sea level rise. The Initiative draws a correlation between the extreme high tides of today and what could be the average high tides of the future. While the impacts look similar, there is a differ-ence between tides and sea level rise. Communicating good scidiffer-ence on high tides, sea level rise, and climate change is, and will continue to be, a key component of the Initiative.
Sharing Public Images
The photos from the King Tides Initiative create a record that is available for everyone to use. This publicly acces-sible catalog of images is a great resource. The photographs showing the potential impacts of sea level rise can be applied by a variety of stakeholders including the media, local governments, coastal planners—and many others— to raise awareness of our changing coasts and shorelines. Already, photographs from the 2011 California King Tide Ini-tiative have been seen in news articles, websites, reports, presentations, and other media outlets.
Community Building
The King Tides Initiative invites all members of the public to participate. In doing so, it offers a way to expand the community of people concerned about the impacts of a changing climate. The images show that rising waters will impact many different people and places along the coast, including homeowners, beachgoers, waterfront opera-tors, restaurants, roads, wastewater treatment plants and many other types of infrastructure. An inclusive approach ensures that a broad variety of stakeholders can contribute to the discussion on sea level rise and other impacts of a changing climate.
Support for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning
The images illustrate the urgency of planning now for rising waters. As the pictures show, impacts from high water events are being felt already. These events have implications for multiple sectors in our communities such as public health and safety, access to the coast, recreation, transportation, and environmental restoration, among others. Many local, regional, and state agencies in California are beginning to consider climate change in their planning and develop-ment and the King Tides Initiative can support these efforts. The images, in addition to the extensive media coverage, may encourage efforts from the local to the global level to continue planning for a changing climate—specifically with respect to sea level rise. The implementation of guidance on preparing for sea level rise is one such effort in Califor-nia that the King Tides Initiative may support now and into the future.
A - Seawater floods public access in downtown San Francisco. Photo taken by Mike Schweizer on February 17, 2011, just north of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
A B
B - Waves splash against the China Camp Visitor Center at China Camp State Park. Photo taken by Jason Hassrick on January 20, 2011 at 11:13 am with approximately 6.8 foot high tide.
A B
C
A - Mother’s Beach, Marina Del Rey. Photo taken by Aaron McLendon on February 17, 2011 at approximately 7:35 am.
C - Flooding under the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, CA, traffic heading toward the Bay Bridge toll plaza. Photo taken by Sonjco on February 17, 2001.
B - Water overtops public access area at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. Photo taken by sirgious on February 18, 2011.
D - Sea wall spills over fences near Pier 14 in San Francisco. Photo taken Mike Schweizer on February 17, 2011.
D
For more information on the California King Tide Photo Initiative, please see the websites listed below or email: cakingtides@gmail.com
King Tide Photo Initiative Websites California www.californiakingtides.org Oregon www.flickr.com/groups/oregonkingtides/ Washington www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/ipa_hightide.htm British Columbia www.env.gov.bc.ca/cas/adaptation/king_tide.html
San Francisco Bay
Conservation and Development Commission
