Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Robert Lang and Associated Press
Maryland environmental officials are asking residents to snap pictures of high tides along the state's shoreline as part of an effort to document the effects of climate change.
The state is participating in the King Tides Initiative in 2014. "King tide" is a nonscientific term for naturally occurring, exceptionally high tides that occur when the gravitational pulls of the sun and moon align.
The high tides themselves aren't caused by global warming. But The Department of Natural Resources says photographing areas that flood during high tides will provide information about areas that could be hit hard by major storms or rising sea levels.
Other states collecting photos of high tides include California and Washington.
DNR has instructions on its website about how to participate in the program.