0
Historical and projected sea-levels for islands in the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans are a subject of considerable interest and some controversy. The large variability (e.g. El Niño) signals and the shortness of many of the individual tide-gauge records contribute to uncertainty of historical rates of sea-level rise. Here, we determine rates of sea-level rise from tide gauges in the region. We also examine sea-level data from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite altimeter and from a reconstruction of sea level in order to put the sparse (in space and time) tide-gauge data into context. For 1993 to 2001, all the data show large rates of sea-level rise over the western Pacific and eastern Indian ocean (approaching 30 mm yr− 1) and sea-level falls in the eastern Pacific and western Indian Ocean (approaching − 10 mm yr− 1). Over the region 40°S to 40°N, 30°E to 120°W, the average rise is about 4 mm yr− 1. For 1950 to 2001, the average sea-level rise (relative to land) from the six longest tide-gauge records is 1.4 mm yr− 1. After correcting for glacial isostatic adjustment and atmospheric pressure effects, this rate is 2.0 mm yr− 1, close to estimates of the global average and regional average rate of rise. The long tide-gauge records in the equatorial Pacific indicate that the variance of monthly averaged sea-level after 1970 is about twice that before 1970. We find no evidence for the fall in sea level at the Maldives as postulated by Mörner et al. (2004). Our best estimate of relative sea-level rise at Funafuti, Tuvalu is 2 ± 1 mm yr− 1 over the period 1950 to 2001. The analysis clearly indicates that sea-level in this region is rising. We expect that the continued and increasing rate of sea-level rise and any resulting increase in the frequency or intensity of extreme sea-level events will cause serious problems for the inhabitants of some of these islands during the 21st century.
Keywords: sea-level changes; climate change; Indian Ocean; Pacific Ocean
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What U.S. state capital is lowest in elevation?
Honolulu, Hawaii is the state capital with the lowest elevation. Honolulu rises 18 feet above sea level.
What is the lowest capital in the US?
Honolulu, Hawaii is the state capital with the lowest elevation. Honolulu rises 18 feet above sea level.
Are sea-level changes an impact on climate change?
No, sea level rises are a result of climate change. Warming oceans expand and so the sea level rises. Melting glaciers and ice caps also add to the rise.
How the warming of the atmosphere could lead to rises in sea level?
with each degree the temperature rises, the ice from the polar caps melts more making the sea level higher
What gets farther away from sea level as it rises?
Flooding
What must result in a lower base level for rivers and streams?
The results of a lower base lever for rivers and streams is the sea level falls and the land rises. The base level is the level below which a stream cannot erode.
A mountain with a base of 13821 feet below sea level rises 23933 feet What is the elevation above sea level of its peak?
10,112 ft above sea level.
What happens to the sea level when the earths climate becomes warmer?
it rises
What is it called when a seamount rises above sea level?
Island
What is the highest elevation in Honolulu Hawaii?
13,796 feet above sea level in Mauna Kea
What is land that rises at least 2000 ft above sea level?
Mountain
Are islands and reefs safe enough to live on?
Not when there are storms and the sea level rises.
