In Charleston, when the sun, earth and moon align, normal tides turn into what鈥檚 known as a king tide, a tide that reaches 8 feet or more. In low-lying areas, king tides cause flooding and road closures. Campus employees know the corner of Hagood and Fishburne becomes impassable and plan alternate routes to work. But for pedestrians, taking another route isn鈥檛 always an option鈥攖hat鈥檚 when tidal flooding, as associate biology professor Claudia Rocha, Ph.D., discovered, becomes more than an inconvenience.
鈥淲ith climate change, temperatures are going up and there鈥檚 more water in the ocean. When the ice melts, sea levels rise and tides push more water inland. That鈥檚 exactly what happens in Charleston,鈥� said Rocha. 鈥淓ven if it doesn鈥檛 rain, a king tide can flood parts of the peninsula and can affect people鈥檚 daily lives.鈥�
Rocha became concerned about what鈥檚 lurking in the water. 鈥淭his water comes from the ,sea, from rivers and creeks,鈥� she said. 鈥淥bviously, there has to be bacteria in there. We weren鈥檛 expecting something sterile, but we wanted to know which bacteria were present. Could something in the water be affecting people?鈥�
In 2020, with a grant from 糖心VLOG鈥檚 Near Center for Climate Studies, Rocha and a handful of students began collecting samples of water during king tides. According to public health standards, groundwater should contain only small amounts of bacteria. When levels climb, infection is more likely. Rocha and her students found evidence of fecal contamination鈥�E. coli and Enterococci. They also discovered the presence of Vibrio species, including Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
When the research is complete, Rocha plans to publish the results and present them at the American Society for Microbiology. For her students, the experience is proof that science isn鈥檛 just about whiteboards and formulas鈥攊t has real-world applications that make a difference in people鈥檚 lives and communities.