A tide gauge has been installed at Wynyard Quarter by Auckland King Tides Initiative following a $4000 community grant from Waitematā Local Board. The gauge is designed to measure king tides to show the impact of sea -level rise and climate change.
King tides occur when the gravitational forces of the sun, Earth and moon align. While they occur naturally and can be predicted, when they take place during a storm they can cause damage to property, wildlife habitats and infrastructure.
Community encouraged to get involved
The Auckland King Tide Initiative is encouraging community members, school students and scientists to photograph the tide gauge during different tide events and upload photos and information to the organisation's website. Signage on site includes a QR code to make uploading photos and data easy.
Ben Sheeran, founder of the Auckland King Tides Initiative, says monitoring the gauge does not have to be restricted to king tides and he hopes that the community will get behind the project.
“The tide gauge at Wynyard Quarter makes sea-level rise projections for the area based on carbon emissions at continued high levels and at low levels 100 years from now in 2120.
“It demonstrates that continued high levels of global emissions will result in a significantly higher average tide in 2120 and that doesn’t include a king tide on top of that.
“With the help of the community, we can capture the effects of high water levels on infrastructure and the natural environment and we can start forming views on how to best manage the impacts,” he said.
Raising awareness
Waitematā Local Board member and environment portfolio holder Rob Thomas says the new tide gauge will help raise awareness about climate change.
“Sea-level rise causing inundation and cliff face erosion will be a significant climate change challenge over the next 50 years and beyond.
“The Auckland King Tides gauge will raise awareness of the challenge and allow members of the public to engage in their own citizen science to record their experiences,” he said.
Learn more about Auckland King Tides Initiative and get involved at their website.
