SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — It happens only once or twice a year. The alignment between the sun, the moon and the earth create a gravitation pull causing some of the biggest tides of the year to hit our coastal community.
On Saturday morning, surfers enjoyed nice swells and flocks of birds floated on the higher tides.
Not only do King Tides bring nature lovers like Karin Zirk out to estuaries like the one at Rose Creek, but they give volunteers valuable information on what these areas could look like after sea level rises due to climate change.
"We're adding data to the data we collected last year and the year before. And then the scientific community can use that to say, 'Oh, is it getting significantly worse?'" said Zirk. "By putting all these different data points together, it's really helping paint a picture of what our coastal communities are facing."
Coastal communities like San Diego are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Down in Imperial beach by the Tijuana Estuary, is an area that has been known to flood during King Tides.
California State Parks interpreter, Empress Holliday said that events like these give residents a look into what their community could look like if sea levels continue to rise.
"We're going to be seeing this on a regular basis," said Holliday. "This will eventually be our average tides, but we're also going to be still be having king tides, right? So we're going to see even more of that water coming in and impacting a lot of the houses in the coastal areas."
While the King Tide might have passed on Saturday, Holliday says they’re expecting another one next month.
WATCH RELATED: King Tides return to San Diego beaches (December 2021)