King tides: high tide and low tide vary

Image: The Marine Room

While cycling into work one day, a staff member at San Diego Coastkeeper noticed that a section of the bikeway was under water. The cyclist hadn't seen water in this spot before and wondered what the cause was.

The flooding resulted from a king tide. King tides are the highest of high tides that are naturally occurring and predictable. The moon's position in relation to Earth handles all tides, including king tides.

• How does the moon influence the tides?
• How can the phases of the moon be used to predict tides?
• How low is low tide? How high is high tide? What is the difference between the two?
• How does low tide and high tide influence our coastal communities?

Resources:

San Diego Coastkeeper: The King Tides Are Coming

NOAA: What is a King Tide?

California King Tides Project: Schedule of tides