Wednesday, November 25, 2015

More King Tides in our future


The Daily Journal/Samantha Weigel, 11/25/15.  "Officials: King Tides are the future of the coast."

Image result for King tides, Pacifica, CA picture
Could have been a nice walk along Beach Boulevard
The start of the annual King Tides prompted county officials, environmental experts and coastal activists to gather Tuesday morning at areas where San Mateo County is most vulnerable to sea level rise.  King Tides, which occur when the sun and moon align creating a more powerful gravitational pull, were reported to have washed much further ashore along the coast and in parts of the San Francisco Bay.

....  “The King Tides are gong to be an indicator of what exactly it’s going to be like in the future — King Tides are going to be the new norm and are going to have even more destructive power than today,” said Supervisor Don Horsley while watching the waves crash at Surfer’s Beach on the coast. “We’re looking at ways of being more resilient, protecting the coast and adapting to the future. This King Tide is a look into the future.”

The county is in the midst of yearlong study to determine what assets are vulnerable to sea level rise through a special task force dedicated to collaborating on preparing for the future of climate change. Surrounded by both a bayfront and coastal zone, San Mateo County has been deemed the most vulnerable in the state when it comes to sea level rise, said Hilary Papendick, climate resiliency specialist with the county’s Office of Sustainability. .... This year’s King Tides are also exacerbated by El Niño as the expanded warmer waters account for about a half-foot increase.  Read more.

Related,  Climate Central/John Upton, 10/30/15, ".... Paris Agreement could put leash around global warming."  There is a month remaining before a critical two-week U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change begins in Paris. Following years of talks, most of the world’s governments have announced the pledges that they plan to offer under the hoped-for Paris climate pact, even as the draft agreement continues to take shape.... .Developed countries, such as the U.S., and those in the European Union, pledged to reduce rates of greenhouse gas pollution by specific amounts in the coming years. Others, such as China, vowed to end the yearly increases in their annual pollution rates within chosen timeframes. Some countries simply listed the policies that they plan to enact to help address climate change. Policies included in many of the pledges also covered efforts to adapt to a warming world." 

Note: photograph by Dae R./Flickr from the related Climate Central article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

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