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| Sand bags at Royal Hawaiian Hotel |
King tide is the highest predicted high
tide of the year at a coastal location. The water rises above the highest water
level reached by high tide on that location. According to the Environmental
protection Agency (EPA) they are also known as perigean spring tides.
They
are normal occurrence once or twice a year in coastal locations. It requires
lot of coincidence for the king tide to occur They occur when the Earth, Sun
and Moon align and the Moon is closest to the earth thereby generating the
maximum gravitational pull. King tide help us to predict the future of that
coastal area because of rising sea levels worldwide due to global warming.
The
high tides are reaching higher and higher and reaching further inland than
before. As time goes on the water level reached by the king tide will be the
new water level reached by high tide in future. So, they are a glimpse into
future and warn us to be prepared about how we design and improve our
infrastructure and make it permanent more safe and secure on this island.
The
idea of using king tides to glimpse the future of sea level rise originated in
Australia. Witness King Tides remains an active organization,
encouraging coastal communities around Australia to contribute photos to the
project. In the United States, they are
predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Being located in the middle of Pacific
Ocean, Hawaiian islands are especially susceptible to king tides. This year’s king
tide is predated to be among the highest Hawaii has ever seen.
This year the weather center has
predicted 3 king tides, to occur May 25 through 28, June 23-24, and July
21-23. And to make the matter worse, the
king tide are coinciding with the south swell. The south shore of the islands
are already the highest hits.
So, the island chain is bracing up for
dealing with the coastal flooding and land erosion.
Reports are already in that ocean is
washing over many highways statewise. Combined with the south swell,waves as
high as 6-10 feets were seen today at magic island.
A high-surf advisory has been posted
for south-facing shores of Oahu and residents in the low lying coastal areas are
advised to remove the electronics equipment and vehicles from basements.
Dr. Kim Peyton, estuaries and coastal
habitat research scientist in Maui Division of Aquatic Resources DAR, notes
that “King tides bring unusually high water levels, resulting in local flooding
that can leave schools of juvenile fishes to die on roads, parking lots and
other hard structures.”
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| Fish on the side walk due to flooding |
"At Ala Moana they have put out
over 500 sand bags there is a wall on the Makai side and they are blocking
where people walk through so we don’t have sea water killing our grass and
trees and other things," said Mayor Kirk Caldwell.
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| Rising water level. |
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| Raising the sand level |
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| Machine putting more sand |
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| Water advancement exceeding the normal levels |
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| Surf Rolling in |
