Sea Level Change Flashcards
What is isostatic sea level change?
a change in the height of the land relative to the sea
What is eustatic sea level change?
a change in the level of the sea
What scale does isostatic change act on?
local
What scale does eustatic change act on?
global
What are 2 submergent coastal landforms?
- rias
- fjords
- dalmatian coasts
What are 2 examples of an emergent landform?
- raised beaches
- relict cliffs
What is the most important factor in the formation of fjords?
eustatic sea level rise, which floods a u-shaped valley formed by past glaciation
what can cause eustatic sea level change?
melting ice
what can cause isostatic sea level change?
heavy ice pushes down land (meaning relative sea level is higher), it also causes land to rise elsewhere changing its height relative to the sea
What could be a cause of eustatic fall?
colder temperatures cause more snow and more glaciation, therefore increasing amounts of water is stored as ice, lowering the sea levels
what is isostatic readjustment?
when ice melts and the pressure on the land is reduces, the land will rise back to its previous level
How are rias formed?
when river valleys are drowned (e.g dartmoor)
How does global warming increase eustatic sea level?
- melt ice which is on land, increasing volume of water in the sea
- thermal expansion
What is an impact of sea levels rising?
- increased flooding and erosion
- impacts from salt and freshwater mixing
How could increasing sea levels impact the Sundarbans?
could flood areas that are needed for tourism, reducing the economic prosperity of the area
