Oregon Coast King Tides Party and Retrospective at Cannon Beach

Published 01/12/2018 at 4:20 AM PDT - Updated 01/12/2018 at 4:29 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) - The big party to celebrate the end of the King Tides Project on the Oregon coast happens in Cannon Beach on January 15. It takes places at the Public Coast Brewery at 5 p.m., featuring a look back at this year's photos and a presentation by OSU PhD student Dylan Anderson.

The term “king tide” is not a true scientific one, but it's a loose phrase that describes the high tides that occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment, causing greater than usual gravitational pull on the tides. When this is combined with intense rain or storm events, the water level rise can cause flooding, erosion, and other impacts to infrastructure and property.

When these king tides happen, they give observers and scientists an opportunity to peek into the future and perhaps see what even a small increase in sea levels can do to create higher tides in the communities along the Oregon coast. The impacts of sea level rise could intensify the coastal hazards of erosion and flooding, even reducing the size of Oregon coast beaches.

By photographing the king tides, state and local officials as well as scientists can help coastal towns identify areas more prone to flooding, expose the potential impacts of sea level rise, and a way to start planning for the future.

Dylan Anderson’s talk, entitled, “Changing Coast and Climate: Examples from our Oregon Beaches,” will explore how the water level in Oregon on any given day is the result of multiple processes adding together. Tides are the easiest to discern with the human eye - but the daily weather, the season, the local geology, and even dynamics occurring thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean cumulatively effect Oregon’s water level.

Identifying each process contributing to extreme events has led to new techniques linking such events to large-scale climate, and the ability to predict how climate change will affect future extremes. We’ll look at examples of how high waters have affected historic erosion in north-central Oregon, the climate that caused these events, and discuss what the future may have in-store for these communities.

Dylan is an aspiring coastal scientist studying erosion and flooding hazards in the 21st century. Oceans are warming and sea levels are consequently rising around the world - and society is unprepared. His work is focused on understanding how the coast will respond to these high water levels. Dylan is in his 5th year of a PhD at Oregon State University, working towards a degree from the Coastal and Ocean Engineering program, with a minor in oceanography. Along the way he has spent summers conducting fieldwork in Oregon and Washington (driving instrumented-PWCs in the nearshore), organized a large-scale flume experiment in the O.H Hinsdale Wave Laboratory, and completed research abroad with colleagues in Spain.

The event is free to attend and the public is invited. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the pub. Cannon Beach Hotels / Lodging for this event - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour

For questions regarding the event, contact Melissa Keyser, Haystack Rock Awareness Program Coordinator at 503-436-8060 or email hrap@ci.cannon-beach.or.us. www.oregonkingtides.net.

More About Cannon Beach Lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

 

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted

Oregon Coast Lodging
Rentals
Specials

Dining

Events Calendar

Oregon Coast Weather

Travel News

Search for Oregon Coast Subjects, Articles

Virtual Tours, Maps
Deep Details