Feb 22, 2016
Temperature-driven global sea-level variability in the Common Era
by
,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Presents the first, to our knowledge, estimate of global sea-level (GSL) change over the last ∼3,000 years that is based upon statistical synthesis of a global database of regional sea-level reconstructions
- Finds that GSL varied by ∼±8 cm over the pre-Industrial Common Era, with a notable decline over 1000–1400 CE coinciding with ∼0.2 °C of global cooling
- Finds that the 20th century rise was extremely likely faster than during any of the 27 previous centuries
- Semiempirical modeling indicates that, without global warming, GSL in the 20th century very likely would have risen by between −3 cm and +7 cm, rather than the ∼14 cm observed
- Semiempirical 21st century projections largely reconcile differences between Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections and semiempirical models