10 Thursday, January 9, 2014
Coastal View News • Carpinteria, California
Marshing with the tides living the green life
ERIN MAKER
With the excellent weather we have been having—I can’t complain about summer in December—everyone should be taking advantage and getting outdoors. If you went away for the holidays or just didn’t make it to the beach, you may have missed the very high tides. Tidal changes as extreme as the ones in the last couple of weeks have multiple effects on our coastline, both positive and negative. As a beach lover, I have been fascinated with tides since I was a little girl. At low tide, I knew it was a good time to dig up shellfish along the coast of Rhode Island where our family had a house. And high tide was the perfect time to put a rowboat in the water from the boat launch. Living in a coastal area, you probably are aware of the effect the moon has on the tides. Actually, the relative position of both the sun and the moon to the Earth cause the tide changes. When our planet is closest to the sun in its orbit, as happens every January, and the moon is also closest to us in its cycle, we have extreme high tides as we did last week. These extremely high tides, also called King Tides, can have damaging effects on beaches and low lying coastal areas, especially when combined with winter storms. However, they also give us a snapshot into what will happen as our sea levels change. And they can have positive effects on coastal streams, rivers and marshes. We all remember what happened over the summer when the mouth of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh closed off as water levels dropped, preventing ocean water from entering and fresh water from leaving. Fish and other aquatic life died off as oxygen levels dropped, algae bloomed and the condition worsened until it was manually unblocked using heavy equipment. Tidally influenced salt marshes, areas
MAKER
Carpinteria Salt Marsh provides an excellent view of extreme tides. The lowest of the low tides expose muddy banks that are typically under water. where fresh water meets the ocean, are an important habitat for many plants and animals. They provide refuge and are a food source to a large number of animal species, as well as acting as nurseries to a large number of fish and shellfish. The streams that flow into the marsh carry nutrients and sediments from high up in the watershed; too much of either can throw off the delicate balance of a marsh ecosystem. The ebb and flow of tides, especially high tides such as those we experienced last week, helps flush excess sediments and nutrients out. Marshes also help protect adjacent areas from flooding conditions winter storms can cause, as well as more extreme occurrences such as tidal waves and tsunamis. Plants that live in marshy environments often have intricate root systems, and they slow the speed of water down, dissipating some of the energy before it reaches land.
If you did get a chance to visit the beaches or marsh during the high tides last week, hopefully you got to observe how high the water level in the marsh gets and how the tide effects erosion on the beaches. High tides all over the world are tracked by scientists with the help of citizen volunteers. For many years, sea level rise has been tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Contrary to what many people believe, sea level change is not uniform. The ocean, like the land mass of our planet, is, and has always been, a constantly changing environment. Some areas of the planet have seen relatively drastic changes in the last 50 years, and others almost none. And some areas, such as coastal California, are starting to see a greater change in sea level, while others are recording less. But tracking the extreme high tides helps us anticipate flooding conditions before they happen, allowing communities like
Carpinteria to better prepare for what will happen as sea levels change. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the high tides last week, you will have another chance at the end of the month. (And I really suggest you do, as last week’s were quite impressive.) The last king tides of the season take place Jan. 29 through 31. If you are interested in becoming involved as a volunteer, visit the California King Tides Initiative website at californiakingtides.org/. Erin Maker is the Environmental Coordinator for the City of Carpinteria. She studied biology after discovering her love of nature and science while growing up in Vermont. Always interested in improving water quality and recycling, she currently oversees the City’s Watershed Management and Solid Waste Programs. For more information, contact Erin at erinm@ ci.carpinteria.ca.us, 684-5405 x415.
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