The state Department of Ecology (DOE) is asking citizens to help it document the upcoming “king tides” on the Washington Coast and in Puget Sound.

King Tides are the highest tides of the year. They occur naturally during the winter, when the sun and the moon align, causing an increased gravitational pull on the earth’s oceans.

In the Puget Sound, king tides will occur now through Dec. 29 and Jan. 3 to 17.

The DOE has requested that citizens send in photos of the king tides to help the state visualize how rising sea levels due to climate change could affect Washington’s coastlines in the future.

A similar program first began in Australia in 2009. Last year Washington and British Columbia began collecting the king tide photos, and this year they were joined by Oregon and California.

The King Tide Photo Initiative is now a coordinated effort between the three states and British Columbia, and other organizations and governments around the country are holding photo initiatives of their own.

To participate in the program, take a photo of a king tide and upload it to DOE’s king tide Flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/1611274@N22, noting the date. time and the location of the photo.

The state recommends taking photos in areas where the high water levels can be gauged against familiar landmarks such as bridge supports, dikes, buildings, roads or other infrastructure.

For more information on the upcoming king tides, see www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/ipa_hightide.htm.