measuring sea level change

Scientist Spotlight – Meet Coastal Oceanographer Dr Jenny Brown

Dr Jenny Brown conducting fieldwork

As sea level rise accelerates, there is a greater need to protect those living closest to our coasts.

Historically, coastal management strategies, such as the building of sea walls, have been reactive to extreme events. Now, more sustainable adaptive management strategies are sought.

Isle of Wight salt marsh reveals 300 years of sea level history

Collecting core samples from a salt marsh on the Newtown Estuary on the Isle of Wight (photo courtesy of Margot Saher)

A recent study has shown there is regional variation in sea-level change on the eastern and western North Atlantic and therefore no single site is representative of the ocean-wide trends.

When did modern rates of sea level rise start?

Extracting cores from a marsh in southern New Zealand (courtesy: Prof Gehrels)

Professor Philip Woodworth of the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Liverpool and Professor Roland Gehrels of Plymouth University asked when sea level rise started to accelerate – and narrowed it down to a point in the early 1900s.

Global sea levels are rising.

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