Sea-level Rise: Past, Present and Future

One of the most societal-relevant objectives of the Earth Sciences is to understand the history and impact of global sea-level (eustatic) fluctuations at different time scales. Over a third of the world's population lives within 100 km of a coastline. One-tenth of the global population and 13% of the world's urban population live in coastal areas that lie within just 10 m above sea level which covers only 2% of the world's land area. Quaternary geologic records provide opportunities to quantify the timing, amplitudes, rates, mechanisms/controls, and effects (stratigraphic response) of millennial-scale changes in sea level. This information, in turn, provides a baseline for predicting future global sea-level rise (SLR) and assessing anthropogenic influences. SLR has increased from a few centimetres/century over recent millennia to a few tens of centimetres in recent decades. Much larger rises in sea level are possible over the next centuries, especially if the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets disintegrate.
We invite field- and modelling-based contributions that address Quaternary sea-level changes, ongoing sea-level rise and scenarios for the future.

Plenary talks by Anny Cazenave (Toulouse, France), Mark Siddall (Bristol, UK) and Colin Woodroffe (Wollongong, Australia)

Programme