Picture taken south of Cherry Point in Cowichan Bay submitted as part of the King Tides Story Map project by the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The CVRD says the project is being used to visualize rising sea levels due to climate change. Photo courtesy CVRD.
An online map is allowing Cowichan residents to share coastal pictures of King Tides in a project that looks ahead to potential flood risks.
The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) has launched the King Tides Story Map, which shows areas expected to be impacted by rising sea levels due to climate change.
The map outlines vulnerable shorelines along the coast of the Cowichan region.
Blue shaded areas on the map indicate areas considered susceptible to flooding by the year 2100, based on a projected one-meter rise in sea levels, along with high tides and storm surges.
CVRD online map from Cowichan Bay north to Chemainus showing sensitive shorelines and projected flooding from rising sea levels due to climate change. Red lines indicate very high risk of shoreline erosion. Blue shaded areas indicate locations vulnerable to flooding by 2100 based on a projected one-metre sea level rise. Photo courtesy CVRD.
The map also has shoreline erosion rankings, with a thin red line indicating a very high risk of shorelines being breached.
CVRD King Tides Story Map, from north of Chemainus to south of Nanaimo. The numbers indicate coastal pictures submitted during King Tides season in early December. The map visualizes sea level rise due to climate change. Photo courtesy CVRD.
CVRD Senior Environment Analyst Keith Lawrence says the project started during the first round of King Tides season earlier this month.
A closer look at Cowichan Bay, with a large area of flooding projected by 2100 by rising sea levels due to climate change. Photo courtesy CVRD.
The district is asking residents to take pictures during another round of King Tides from January 3 to 8, which can be uploaded to the map.
Lawrence says the online map tool is being piloted for King Tides and other environmental issues and interests in the Cowichan Valley.
Andy Neal
