OK, so I have done a few blog posts on the measured sea level rise at the LW Pier and how the mean high water is set by NOAA every 19 years. I found that time set odd. Not 15, not 20, but every 19 years. No mention of this on the NOAA site but apparently the moon orbit is not exact around the earth but ‘wobbles’ and does so on an 18.6 year cycle. WOW! I read all about this in Popular Mechanics article but it go me thinking. The article was based upon the research by a Professor that the University of Hawaii but he was educated in S. Florida…
https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/oceanography/faculty/Thompson.html
So, we have the effects of the gravity of the moon causing tides. And, as we know in South Florida we get floods during the ‘King Tides’. These are due to the moon being closer to the earth as certain times for certain places. Around here it happens to coincide with hurricane season in the fall. Apparently this distance not only varies throughout the year but also over a 18.6 year cycle. And the next cycle of higher high tides due to the proximity of the moon is to be in about 10 years. It’s time to get ready for those nuisance king tides to get even higher. Not even discussing climate change or sea level rise, this is a calculable astronomical effect. Just like we can tell you when the king tides will be.
