King tides no treat for bay beaches

It’s no Halloween prank: King tides are coming. High tides Oct. 26-28 along the Delaware Bay beaches could be as much a foot or more above normal due to several astronomical factors.

What makes a king tide higher or lower is the added pull of both the sun and moon together, said Shaun Bailey of Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.  “This occurs when the Earth reaches its closest point to the sun during its annual orbit and the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth during its 27-day orbit,” he said.  “The two combined make for water levels both higher and lower than daily tides and bimonthly spring tides.”

This can be amplified in Delaware Bay given how it narrows like a funnel as tides move upstream.  King tides can also be dangerous when combined with storms like nor’easters that bring winds and heavy rain, Bailey said.

Especially susceptible to the extreme high tide will be low-lying areas such as Fowler Beach along the coastline of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Several breaches along the duneline already allow for the ebb and flow of bay water into refuge marshes that result in frequent flooding along Prime Hook Road and the small community of Primehook Beach.

The good news is no storms forecast during the time of the king tides, Bailey said. “Fortunately the weather forecast looks fair, so wave action may not cause much erosion,” he said.

“What’s interesting about king tides is how they serve as a window into our future,” said Danielle Kreeger, science director at Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.  “Today’s king tides will be tomorrow’s daily tides, probably in about 20 years.  Most experts believe that sea levels in the Delaware Estuary will rise by 3 to 5 feet this century.”

In an effort to educate residents more about sea level rise, Delaware’s Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee will have a public forum from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Cape Henlopen High School.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary recently published a new resource for community leaders dealing not only with surging tides, but also with flooding and record rainfall.  This booklet, “Weathering Change,” details ways people can work with nature for the benefit of neighborhoods and clean water.  Examples include protecting wetlands; installing natural, or “living shorelines;” and planning smart developments, or those that absorb runoff rather than contribute to flooding.

“Most people are familiar with tides, which flood and ebb along the East Coast twice a day as the Earth spins on its axis.  Far fewer people are familiar with king tides,” Bailey said.

High tides in the Prime Hook Refuge area are expected to be between 8:50 and 10:30 a.m. and 9:15 and 11 p.m. during the three-day period.

For more information, contact the organization at 302-655-4990 or go to delawareestuary.org.