7 News Belize

The Tide Is High, But Why?
posted (October 25, 2019)
Changing gears now from government finances to the environment….

If you've noticed rising tides and routine flooding in certain parts of the city you're certainly not alone. We looked into the short term effects of climate change on Belize city and we were hit with some conflicting views.

One thing is certain however, the sea is continually reclaiming portions of our coastline. Cherisse Halsall has that story.

Cherisse Halsall reporting
Residents who live along the coast have noticed what seems to be major changes in high tides over the last two years. One concerned citizen Mr Stuart Young in the Home Park area says that these high tides have caused erosion in his neighborhood.

Stuart Young, Resident, Home Park
"We have always had high tides but we have not had street flooding as we have had it over the past two years where the tides have come so high that this whole street is completely flooded at high tide on a perfectly sunny day."

"From nothing it comes up to at least four to six inches which is as I say at high tide."

"We get the flooding and at low tide it's going to run right back out but what happens when we have those rains, mixed with high tides mixed with global warming."

"A sea wall is a temporary thing but I have seen it in downtown Belize where the high tides now are affecting places like Dean street and the southern foreshore where it just comes right in."

"This is not only here as I said I've seen it on the southern foreshore, I've seen it in parts of downtown Belize, I see it around King Street, and even near the market it's been happening but we will have to do something about it."

Career meteorologist, Frank Tench says that the higher tides can be explained due to natural cycles.

Frank Tench, Meterologist
"The tides are caused by the forces of the sun and the moon on the earth's bodies of water. The moon revolves around the earth and the earth revolves around the sun every so often the moon and the sun are aligned in such a position that they create some extremely high tides which are called spring tides and just like how we have the extremely high tides called spring tides you have some tides which are not so extreme called the neap tides."

"Now the spring tides would tend to occur around the time just before the new moon or the full moon. We're headed towards a new moon towards the end of this month therefore we'll be having a regular occurence of these extremely high tides in about another week or so until we reach the new moon and then after that the tides should diminish."

Cherisse Halsall:
"So your saying that these tides are a natural occurrence that happens every so often, how much does it have to do with climate change."

Frank Tench
"Nothing absolutely with climate change because remember the moon revolves around the earth it takes about 28 to 28 days to make a complete revolution around the earth that's a natural rhythm of the moon in it's rotation around the earth and likewise the earth's rotation or revolution around the sun is a naturally occurring thing."

But for many, their personal observations have made them sure that sea levels are certainly rising.

Stuart Young
"Once it starts affecting one area it's going to affect another area and it's going to compound itself until eventually we may not have Belize City."

Scientists do concede that coastal erosion in the city is certainly a real and pressing issue.

Frank Tench
"The coastal erosion is aggravating the effect of the extremely high tides because it allows the tides to intrude further and it's even worse if you remove the mangroves in the name of development. Then you've deluded the coastline of that valuable barrier to support whatever coastline you have."

"It is a fact and it's something that we need to be particularly concerned about because it makes the coastline exposed to things such as high tides or should we have heaven forbid a major hurricane affecting us then that storm surge would have even more impact. It allows the flood waters to intrude more along the coastline even further inland."

If you are concerned about high tides in your area you can listen to the times of tides report issued by the national meteorological service in order to be better prepared for their occurrences.

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