Witness King Tides

Article in the Bayside Bulletin

Other news articles on Witness King Tides

This morning's high tide, known colloquially as a king tide, was the last of the big high tides until December.
The tide at the Brisbane Bar rose to 2.55m at 9.39am and will not be that high again during the day until December 14, when the next king tide will be 2.68m at 10.09am.

Redland residents made the most of the high tides on the weekend and Redland City councillors yesterday used it to compile data for a research project.

One of the best beauty spots to enjoy the high tide was at Cleveland Point, where Bayside Bulletin journalist Jeff Freak caught the Saturday morning tide on camera.

Water came in and was almost over the rock wall, in front of the Lighthouse Restaurant, at about 9.30am on both Saturday and Sunday.

Passersby marvelled as the 2.5m tide came and children splashed in the water at beaches across the city.

Families flocked to Thompson's Beach at Victoria Point and the beach at the Wellington Point Recreation Reserve on both mornings.

A slight easterly wind yesterday blew water over the top of the rock wall at Cleveland Point splashing mayor Melva Hobson and councillors Craig Ogilvie (Div 2) and Debra Henry (Div 3).

The councillors were at Cleveland Point to rally support for a state government campaign to get residents to send in photographs of the weekend's king tides.

Green Cross, an international environmental organisation, is working with the state government to build a photographic record of high tides to be used in foreshore planning.

Redland City Council lobbied the state to take part in the program, called Witness King Tides, launched by Environment Minister Vicky Darling in December.

Cr Henry wrote to all federal ministers asking for the program to be implemented so the council could be prepared for any sea level rises due to climate change.

This week's high tides are referred to as the summer "king tides" even though there is no such scientific definition.

The term king tide generally refers to the higher high waters which occur in summer, around Christmas. There are also winter king tides but these are at night.

An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year predicted sea levels to rise by between 26cm and 79cm this century.

Residents can upload their pictures to the Witness King Tides online at www.witnesskingtides.org.