“King Tide” Along the Delaware River a Forecast of Tides to Come?

Mary Cum­mings Jor­dan / WHYY

View of the Delaware River from Bucks County, Pa.

The Delaware River is tidal up to Tren­ton, ris­ing and falling twice a day.  But at the end of this week, those tides may rise a foot higher than nor­mal. A “King Tide” occurs when the earth reaches its clos­est annual point to the sun, while at the same time, the moon reaches its clos­est monthly point to the earth. With all these earthly bod­ies cozy­ing up to one another, the oceans respond with unusu­ally high, and low, tides.

This year, envi­ron­men­tal­ists are using the event to draw atten­tion to global warm­ing. Dr. Danielle Kreeger, sci­ence direc­tor for the Part­ner­ship for the Delaware Estu­ary, says in a press release that this week’s tides pro­vide a glimpse into the future.

“Today’s King Tides will be tomorrow’s daily tides,” said Kreeger. “Most experts believe that sea lev­els in the Delaware Estu­ary will rise by three to five feet this century.”

Kreeger says within 20 years, tides could be a foot higher.

The Part­ner­ship for the Delaware Estu­ary wants every­one to get out their cam­eras and take snap­shots of the tide, while wear­ing a “King Tide Crown.”