EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

After the King Tide

Stacks, Headland, Driftwood
Bandon, Oregon

Explanation:  If needed, scroll right for the fuller panoramic view.  We are on the coastal bluffs above the sandy beaches in southern Oregon, USA, viewing the aftermath of a major tide event.  

First, though, enjoy the view of the offshore 'stacks' and cliffs.  All along the Oregon coast spans the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of 1,853 such coastal islands and islets, two major headlands, and over a million nesting seabirds.  The refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  As noted in their information pamphlet, all rocks, reefs, and islands of the Refuge are off-limits to the public, to help protect its ecological integrity and the multitude of nesting seabird colonies.  The Refuge spans the Oregon coastline, including here at Bandon State Natural Area.

But today my attention is turned to the massive stacks of logs, flotsam, and driftwood piled below up against the bluff.  This was a result of overnight's major so-called king tide.  

A king tide is an exceptionally exaggerated high tide that occurs when the sun, earth, and moon are aligned, as occurred this time during a new moon when the moon was in line between the earth and the sun.  Such alignment provides additional gravitational bulging of the ocean surface, so that tidal levels and forces get amplified.

So what's with the driftwood here?  

That king tide pushed a major amount up against the bluffs last night.  This action piled up the existing wood on the beach -- the light-colored pieces -- and added a quantity of new driftwood -- the darker, sea-soaked pieces.  In this way, I can estimate the numbers, density, and roughly the mass of how much new wood a king tide contributes to these wondrous shorelines.  It would be very interesting to monitor these patterns across seasons and years.