REDLAND residents are being asked for their snapshots of summer's king tides to help coastal communities in South East Queensland plan for climate change.

 

Residents are being asked to take photos of local beaches, wetlands, rivers and dams during the king tides to build a visual record of areas vulnerable at high tides.

 

Environment Minister Vicky Darling made the photo request last week when Darling launched the Witness King Tides community project, which was attended by Redland Mayor Melva Hobson.

 

Cr Hobson was invited to the launch of the online photographic library after the council wrote to Premier Anna Bligh in 2009 and collected its own photographs of king tides across Redland.

 

"We put a lot of pressure on the federal government and councillor Debra Henry (Div 3) wrote to ministers Peter Garratt and Penny Wong to encourage them to implement this project," Cr Hobson said.

 

"Sea levels are rising at about 3mm a year which is not visible to the naked eye but the king tides of today could become the every-day tides of the future.

 

"The online database will be a record of tide levels that governments and the council can use when it comes to planning," Cr Hobson said.

 

"It will give us vital information to help with benchmarking and planning for future sea level rises and manage any risks.

 

"There are some areas in this council where the tide comes up over the street and," Cr Hobson said.

Ms Darling said an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted sea level to rise by between 26cm and 79cm or more this century. Residents can upload their pictures to the Witness King Tides online at www.witnesskingtides.org.

 

PREPARE FOR KING TIDE: Boaties in South East Queensland are being urged to prepare for a summer king tide that is predicted for Christmas Day. Boaties entering the waterways should be extra vigilant around these peak tides. These tides are predicted in a range of tidal information publications including the Queensland Tide Tables 2012 - www.msq.qld.gov.au/home/tides.