Researchers have looked back in time to uncover that even a modest climb in global temperatures could result in a significant rise in global sea levels.<\/p>\n
Published in Nature Geoscience, a team led by Â鶹ֱ²¥ researcher Dr Mick O\u2019Leary have examined ancient fossil shorelines of Western Australia during the Last Interglacial, a period between 128,000 and 116,000 years ago when global climate temperatures were a couple degrees centigrade higher than today\u2019s. They discovered sea levels during this period to be a staggering three to four metres higher than its current level.<\/p>\n
Dr O\u2019Leary said at around 119,000 years ago, the team found evidence of an abrupt jump in sea levels from three to four metres to more than 8.5 metres, suggesting a major ice sheet collapse event occurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile global temperatures and CO2 levels are fairly well understood for the Last Interglacial period, the level of the sea during this time remained a highly controversial question,\u201d Dr O\u2019Leary said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is because tectonic movements, and the isostatic response of coastlines to shifting ice-water masses over glacial and interglacial periods, can artificially raise or lower the original shoreline position.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut after mapping and surveying the Last Interglacial fossil shorelines from Augusta to Exmouth, my team and I were able to show that these ancient shorelines outcropped at similar elevations along this entire length of coastline and therefore have not been affected by tectonic movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr O\u2019Leary said the team then applied an isostatic model correcting for crustal deformation caused by glacial meltwater loading of the Indian Ocean basin.<\/p>\n
He said knowing just how high the sea level might rise, in response to melting ice sheets under warmer global temperatures, is a critical yet poorly understood question and this study had now shed some light if such an event did occur today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis research shows that even a modest rise of a couple of degrees centigrade in global temperatures could result in a significant rise in global sea levels, and will also help improve our understanding of the sensitivity Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets under higher global temperatures,\u201d Dr O\u2019Leary said.<\/p>\n
The research was carried out in conjunction with The University of North Carolina, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, Columbia University, Harvard University and The University of Sydney.<\/p>\n
For a copy of the published research report, visit http:\/\/www.nature.com\/ngeo\/index.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Researchers have looked back in time to uncover that even a modest climb in global temperatures could result in a significant rise in global sea levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-18144","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","hentry","category-research"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"Media Contact","content":" Dr Mick O\u2019Leary,\u00a0Department of Environment & Agriculture,\u00a0Â鶹ֱ²¥
\nTel: 08 9266 251
\nEmail:\u00a0mick.oleary@curtin.edu.au<\/a><\/p>\n