Flood Mitigation and
Sea Level Rise Adaptation
for Kiawah Island: A Report
S
Story and photographs by Jack Kotz
unny day or nuisance flooding is a relatively new term for most of us.
As we described in the Winter/Spring 2018 issue of Naturally Kiawah,
it refers to temporary flooding of low-lying areas in the absence of any
precipitation or storm impacts, usually occurring during new or full
moons. The higher than usual tides during these lunar periods are called “spring
tides.” Several times a year, when the new or full moon is closest to the Earth (at
its perigee), the gravitational force is even greater. This causes a “king tide” or a
“perigean spring tide” that often results in nuisance flooding.
16