The King of King Tides Approaches - 2

Fig. 1 1.7 feet of sea level rise

Scientists of the world are generally aware of the ongoing rise of sea level on the East Coast of the United States.

It has been a while since I focused on that area of the country, so today I want to revisit the subject.

I updated my PSMSL data set  recently and generated the graph at Fig. 1 with the latest data from WOD Zone 7307, as well as generating the list of PSMSL tide gauge stations in that zone (excluding 4 stations that had less than 10 years of total accumulated data).

That list is sorted according to latitude, with the most northerly station at the top and the most southerly station at the bottom:

PHILADELPHIA (PIER 9N) [stn. #135, yrs of data: 117]
REEDY POINT [stn. #786, yrs of data: 32]
ATLANTIC CITY [stn. #180, yrs of data: 103]
BALTIMORE [stn. #148, yrs of data: 115]
ANNAPOLIS (NAVAL ACADEMY) [stn. #311, yrs of data: 87]
CAPE MAY [stn. #1153, yrs of data: 48]
MATAPEAKE [stn. #1338, yrs of data: 10]
WASHINGTON DC [stn. #360, yrs of data: 86]
LEWES (BREAKWATER HARBOR) [stn. #224, yrs of data: 78]
INDIAN RIVER INLET [stn. #1337, yrs of data: 11]
CAMBRIDGE [stn. #481, yrs of data: 10]
CAMBRIDGE II [stn. #1295, yrs of data: 46]
OCEAN CITY INLET [stn. #2292, yrs of data: 18]
SOLOMON'S ISLAND (BIOL. LAB.) [stn. #412, yrs of data: 80]
PINEY POINT [stn. #971, yrs of data: 13]
RICHMOND [stn. #462, yrs of data: 27]
GLOUCESTER POINT [stn. #597, yrs of data: 53]
KIPTOPEKE BEACH [stn. #636, yrs of data: 66]
CHESAPEAKE BAY BR. TUN. [stn. #1635, yrs of data: 32]
SEWELLS POINT [stn. #299, yrs of data: 90]
VIRGINIA BEACH [stn. #945, yrs of data: 12]
PORTSMOUTH (NORFOLK NAVY YARD) [stn. #399, yrs of data: 53]
DUCK PIER OUTSIDE [stn. #1636, yrs of data: 32]
CAPE HATTERAS [stn. #2294, yrs of data: 26]
MOREHEAD CITY [stn. #719, yrs of data: 10]
WILMINGTON [stn. #396, yrs of data: 82]
SOUTHPORT [stn. #1431, yrs of data: 13]
MYRTLE BEACH [stn. #862, yrs of data: 16]
SPRINGMAID PIER [stn. #1444, yrs of data: 34]
CHARLESTON I [stn. #234, yrs of data: 96]
BEAUFORT [stn. #2295, yrs of data: 44]

(click on the Station Name Link to see more information from the PSMSL website)

Note that WOD Zone (7307) does not include Florida.

American scientists are not the only Americans who know the import of sea level change:

"Sea level rise is threatening coastal cities around the world.

If you live in a city like Miami, New York City, or Charleston, the evidence is apparent if you head to the right neighborhood during high tides — especially those known as king tides. These are the highest tides of the year, and they coincide with full moons during spring and fall.

King tides themselves aren't caused by sea level rise, but as the highest tides of the year, they show how sea level has already risen over the past century — the neighborhoods they flood on sunny days now didn't flood like this decades ago, even during high tides.

More importantly, high and king tides are a preview of what's to come as seas continue to rise. What happens during particularly high tides now will happen on a regular basis in the future.

As sea level rises, waters come back up through storm drains and wash over barricades. They flood houses and roads. And in many cases, they may be full of bacteria and potential pathogens.

Most cities recognize the situation at this point and are doing everything they can to try to beat back the rising tides. But seas will continue to rise as warmer oceans expand and glaciers melt. It's likely that neighborhoods and even some cities will be uninhabitable far sooner than many think."

(Cities around the US are flooding on sunny days, Business Insider, emphasis added). It is here now folks.

That being said, the full impact of the increasing sea level rise is less understood (The Extinction of Robust Sea Ports, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

We all need to "get woke and stay woke."

The previous post in this series is here.

---

When sea level knowledge is outlawed, only outlaws will be woke.

---