King’s Tide-Unusually High Tide!
Our local news stations have been “buzzing” this summer’s regarding the King Tides that have been very noticeable on our shorelines. Lissette and I happened to be at Makaiwa Bay to witness first hand the effects of these rare high tide events. A King Tide is a nick name often used to describe exceptionally high “Spring” tides.
“Spring” refers to the 'springing forth' of the tide during a new and full moon. The moon follows an elliptical path around the Earth in its monthly orbit, and the Earth follows an elliptical path in its yearly orbit around the sun. This means that, at times, the moon and the sun are closer to Earth. When the moon circles closest to the Earth, it is in a position called perigee. When the Earth circles closest to the sun, it is in a position called perihelion.
The gravitational pull from both the moon and sun are even greater at these close distances, making King Tides more pronounced (higher and lower) than regular Spring Tides. Imagine the 3 spheres aligned with a full moon and tightly ...
