9.5
Some Trends of Relative Sea Level in The Pacific
Bernard J. Kilonsky, Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI; and M. Merrifield
As concern with the threat of sea level rise as a result of climate change has escalated, attempts to define the trend of sea level have become a focus of study. Most investigations have attempted to calculate the eustatic or global trend of sea level by using monthly averages of tide gauge data or 10 day or longer averages of satellite altimeter information. However, the major impacts of sea level change on low-lying coastal areas and islands are not currently being produced by the global changes in the mean sea level, but by the relative sea level (RSL) variations at a particular site. RSL measurements act as an integrator of the many global and regional processes that influence the ocean and as such are very useful for the investigation of atypical events. This paper examines trends of RSL for selected sites in the Pacific during the last three decades and identifies those most likely to experience incidents of extreme sea level.
Session 9, Observed Climate Change: Part II (Room 6C)
Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 1:30 PM-5:15 PM, Room 6C
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