Researchers are looking for volunteers to take photos of higher-than-usual tides expected on the Oregon Coast this weekend.
The so-called “King Tides” happen several times each winter and represent some of the highest tides experienced on the coast each year. The next round is coming up this Friday through Sunday.
For more than a decade, coastal management groups have solicited help from citizen scientists to snap photos of “King Tides” along beaches and estuaries. It’s yielded a trove of information about the potential impact of climate change, said Jesse Jones, the volunteer coordinator for CoastWatch.
“These photographs create a picture of what the rising seas will look like in the future,” she said.
Jones said more than 400 volunteers have been sending in photos in recent years. She said the best way to help is to take a picture during a normal high tide, and then a picture at the same place during a “King Tide.”
The Oregon King Tides Project is co-coordinated by the Oregon Coastal Management Program and the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.