18 - Sea level rise Flashcards
how much did sea level vary during the glacial-interglacial cycles
130m
how high was sea level 125,000 years ago and what was global mean temp
5m above today and temps 2 degC warm (last interglacial cycle)
how low did sea level go during last ice age
120m below today
between what years did SL rise slowly
6000 - 2000 years ago
how much has SLR accelerated by since 1992
~0.1mm/yr2
what are the current main sources of SLR
melting of Greenland and Antartica
how many m would SLR if Greenland melts
7 m
how many m would SLR if Antarctica melts
60 m
what’s caused an acceleration in SLR since 1970
thermal expansion and ice mass loss from Greenland
what was the cause of SLR in the 20th century
ice loss from glaciers
what are the impacts of SLR
- inundation, flooding and storm damage
- wetland loss
- erosion of soft morphology
- salt water intrusion
- rising water tables
what is no active intervention management
no plan in defending against flooding so these ares will evolve more naturally (increased risk of flooding or coastal erosion)
what is hold the existing defence line management
an aspiration to build or maintain artificial defences so the the position of the shoreline remains
what is managed realignment management
allowing the shoreline to move naturally but managing the process to direct it in certain areas
what is advance the line management
new defences are build on the seaward side. usually done where there’s a shortage of land
