coastal systems -sea level change (tectonic activity and impacts of sea level change and climate change)

Question 1

how does tectonic activity result in sea level change?

Answer 1

.where new land is being formed under the ocean, usually at mid-ocean ridges, this new rock/crust takes up space in the ocean basins, which would have been occupied by water so the water is displaced and sea levels rise

Question 2

what has past tectonic activity resulted in present day?

Answer 2

.uplift of mountain ranges and coastal land at destructive and collision margins that resulted in a relative fall in sea level in some parts of the world

Question 3

what can seismic activity result in?

Answer 3

.result in downthrust leading to submergence of previously dry coasts

Question 4

what is total sea level change?

Answer 4

.the balance between isostatic and eustatic change so in Scotland today isostatic recovery is causing the level of the land to rise faster than thermal expansion
.melting ice sheets are causing sea level to rise
.so the overall effect is that sea level is falling in Scotland and landforms of emergence are developing

Question 5

what is happening to global sea levels due to climate change?

Answer 5

.globally sea level is increasing eustatically as climate change causes thermal expansion and the melting of ice sheets
.some coastlines may continue to experience localised sea level fall due to isostatic factors but globally sea levels are increasing

Question 6

what are the impacts of sea level change?

Answer 6

.lots of UK agricultural land could be lost through both flooding and increased coastal erosion -along
the east coast this is valuable arable land
.numerous power stations, gas and oil terminals which are often built along the coast risk flooding
.groundwater may become contaminated with sea water resulting in it becoming unusable