January California cold snap happening at same time as 'king tides' which occur naturally but gov. agencies and scientists urge 'citizen scientists' to photograph and promote as what global warming terror could look like

King tides occur a few times a year, are due to gravitational
pull of sun and moon, not man-caused climate change.
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1/10/13, "From monkeys to surfers, Calif. braces for cold," AP via Houston Chronicle from SanDiego

"Strawberry growers covered their crops while San Diego zookeepers turned on heaters for the chimpanzees as Californians braced for a cold snap that was expected to drop temperatures to a six-year low.

Forecasters warned that a low pressure trough sinking over San Diego County and parts of neighboring Orange County could keep nightly temperatures below the freezing point in coastal areas, the low deserts and inland valleys, threatening orange, avocado orchards and other sensitive plants. The coldest nights were expected to hit Friday and Saturday.

Farmers were prepared to pull out giant fans to circulate the frosty air and keep it from settling on their citrus trees, said Eric Larson of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Other growers were placing soft cloth over their strawberries and flowers. The National Weather Service predicted overnight lows in the 20s in the lower deserts and key citrus-growing regions in the Central Valley, and in the 30s along the coast. "These guys are going to be up all night watching thermometers," Larson said.

Freezing temperatures weren't the only weather challenge in Southern California, a region boasting 

one of the planet's most temperate climates.

Forecasters say a combination of astronomical high tides, high surf and strong winds will bring minor flooding to low-lying areas of the Southern California coast. The weather service issued coastal flood advisories for all counties from San Luis Obispo south to San Diego through Saturday morning.

They also warned motorists to watch out for sand blowing across coastal highways and snow in the mountains down to 2,000 feet. Snow briefly closed the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles twice on Thursday. Several accidents and spinouts were reported in the mountain pass as the winter weather bore down on Southern California.

Winds could gust to 60 mph there and up to 45 mph in valleys and coastal areas. Highs will only hit the 50s and 60s and rain showers are expected throughout the region....

Farther north in Sonoma County, homeless shelters started handing out extra warm clothes to protect the least fortunate from below-freezing overnight temperatures....

Workers at SeaWorld in San Diego planned to crank up the heat for their macaws, toucans and parrots. San Diego zookeepers were also heating rooms for chimpanzees, apes and other tropical animals....

The so-called king tides will peak Friday morning around 7 feet, depending on location. The conditions may cause some flooding across beaches, parking lots and around estuaries, lagoons and harbors. Parts of Pacific Coast Highway between Sunset Beach and Seal Beach could see standing water."...via Free Republic

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12/11/12, "King tides’ to hit Marin, offering view of what rising seas could do'," Yahoo News, feeds.marinij.com

"The gravitational tug of the moon and sun, not climate change,
is responsible for the extreme tides. But volunteers with cameras across the state are using the event to document what California could look like in the coming decades as the warming Earth continues to raise sea levels.When people see the high tides this week,  
scientists hope many will make that connection
.
"People can get out in their own communities and look at what sea level rise would look like," said Heidi Nutters, of the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, based in Tiburon, who is leading a project to document the high water. "It is a way to learn and have people find ways to take action." As they have for the past two years, a coalition of government agencies and nonprofit groups is asking the public to take photographs Wednesday and Thursday around California to document the high water — preferably of the same place at high tide and low tide.The project, called the California King Tides Initiative, 

posts the photos online.

Since 2010, nearly 500 photos from 28 California cities have been posted to the site showing "king tide" events in California. They have been featured at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences and other prominent places. Similar "citizen science" photo projects around king tides have been organized in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Australia. 

"We are trying to create a living archive of images we can all use to communicate about sea level rise," Nutters said. "Climate change is not only about polar bears in the arctic. It's about what's happening on our coasts right now and today."

King tides occur several times a year, although this week's are the biggest of 2012. Luckily for coastal residents, this week's tides aren't expected to cause significant flooding because they are happening during relatively calm weather....

Instead, the rising water will offer 

a teachable moment, scientists say….

"You can read something, but when you see it firsthand, it's more powerful," said Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

"When you see a place you know, when you see a king tide and say, wow, it's six inches from the San Francisco International Airport runway,
you realize this is real. It's not just a model." For more information about the photo project, go to www.californiakingtides.org." 

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12/13/12, "Photos and Video: King Tides May Give a Glimpse of Bay Area's Climate Change Future," KQED.org
















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