Sea Level Change Essay

Glacial and interglacial periods throughout geological periods

A glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and
glacier advances, however interglacial are periods of warmer climate between glacial periods. The
last glacial period ended about 15000 years ago. So during cold time intervals like the ice age, sea
levels falls because of a shift in the global hydrologic cycle: water is evaporated from the oceans and
stored on the continents as large ice sheets and
expanded ice caps, ice fields, and mountain glaciers.
During an interglacial, sea levels rise as ice sheets
and glaciers melt with the increase in temperature,
thus resulting in an increase in volume of the ocean
as water is heated.

Figure 1 shows glacial interglacial cycles over the past 450000

Isostatic and Eustatic Change years .

Isostatic change - Isostatic sea level change is the result of an increase or decrease in the
height of the land. When the height of the land increases, the sea level falls and when the
height of the land decreases the sea level rises. Isostatic change is a local sea level change
whereas eustatic change is a global sea level change. During an ice age, isostatic change is
caused by the build-up of ice on the land. As water is stored on the land in glaciers, the
weight of the land increases and the land sinks slightly, causing the sea level to rise slightly.
This is referred to as compression. When the ice melts at the end of an ice age, the land
begins to rise up again and the sea level falls. This is referred to decompression or isostatic
rebound. Isostatic rebound takes place incredibly slowly and to this day, isostatic
rebounding is still taking place from the last ice age. Isostatic sea level change can also be
caused by tectonic uplift or depression. As this only takes place along plate boundaries, this
sort of isostatic change only takes place in certain areas of the world. Almost all of Canada
and parts of the northern United States were covered in thick ice sheets at the peak of the
last glaciation
Eustatic Change - when the sea level changes due to an alteration in the volume of water in
the oceans or, alternatively, a change in the shape of an ocean basin and hence a change in
the amount of water the sea can hold. Eustatic
change is always a global effect. During and
after an ice age, eustatic change takes place. At
the beginning of an ice age, the temperature
falls and water is frozen and stored in glaciers
inland, suspending the hydrological cycle. This
results in water being taken out of the sea but Figure 2 – Eustatic change diagram
 not being put back in leading to an overall fall in sea level. Conversely, as an ice age ends,
the temperature begins to rise and so the water stored in the glaciers will re enter the
hydrological cycle and the sea will be replenished, increasing the sea levels. Increasing
temperature will cause the ice sheets to melt, putting more water in the sea. The shape of
the ocean basins can change due to tectonic movement. If the ocean basins become larger,
the volume of the oceans becomes larger but the overall sea level will fall since there’s the
same amount of water in the ocean. Conversely, if the ocean basins get smaller, the volume
of the oceans decreases and the sea level rises accordingly.

Climate changes effects on sea Level

Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water
from melting ice sheets and
glacier s, and the expansion of
seawater as it warms.
Emergent coastlines form as a
result of a (relative) fall in sea
level. This may be as a result
of greater ice storage, but in
today's context they form as a
result of isostatic recovery.
These landforms include,
raised beaches and wave-cut Figure 3 – NASA chloropleth map of climate change and sea level rise globally
platforms, relict cliffs with typical cliff features and coastal plains. A good place location to
observe these coastal features is in Western Scotland. Submergent coastlines form as a
result of sea level rise. The current period of sea level rise, caused by melting ice sheets and
thermal expansion of the ocean is called eustatic change. As a result of eustatic change, a
number of coastal features develop, including the formation of fjords, rias and fjards.
Fjords are narrow, lengthened and steep marine
gulfs that result from the inward movement of
the sea into U-shaped valleys deeped by a
glacier, during the last glacial period. They have
a symetrical valley shape and vast channel depth
that enables
inland
navigation.
They are a
renowned Figure 2 shows rias in the The Solva, Pembrokshire
Figure 4 shows fjord in Norway
physical
feature of the Norwegian coastline. A rias is a deep,
sunken river valley drowned by the sea. They form funnel-
Figure 5 shows Skerries and Fjard, Isle of Islay shaped branching inlets, decreasing in depth and width
inland. A good example can be found in the Solva in Pembrokeshire. Fjards are drowned
glacial lowlands like those found in western Scotland. They are typically punctuated by small
islands, called skerries that result from isostatic recovery.