Sea Level Change

Sea level change is one of the most significant factors shaping coastal landscapes over long time periods. It determines whether coastlines advance seaward or retreat landward, and it creates distinctive suites of emergent and submergent landforms. At A-Level, you must understand the causes of sea level change, distinguish between eustatic and isostatic processes, and evaluate the implications of contemporary and future sea level rise.

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Types of Sea Level Change

There are two fundamentally different mechanisms by which relative sea level changes:

Eustatic Change

Key Definition: Eustatic sea level change is a global change in the volume of water in the oceans, causing the sea surface to rise or fall uniformly across the world.

Causes of eustatic change include: