In Charleston, when the sun, earth and moon align, normal tides turn into what’s 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’t always an option—that’s when tidal flooding, as associate biology professor Claudia Rocha, Ph.D., discovered, becomes more than an inconvenience.
“With climate change, temperatures are going up and there’s more water in the ocean. When the ice melts, sea levels rise and tides push more water inland. That’s exactly what happens in Charleston,” said Rocha. “Even if it doesn’t rain, a king tide can flood parts of the peninsula and can affect people’s daily lives.”
Rocha became concerned about what’s lurking in the water. “This water comes from the ,sea, from rivers and creeks,” she said. “Obviously, there has to be bacteria in there. We weren’t expecting something sterile, but we wanted to know which bacteria were present. Could something in the water be affecting people?”
In 2020, with a grant from The Citadel’s 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—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’t just about whiteboards and formulas—it has real-world applications that make a difference in people’s lives and communities.