Past, Present and Future Trends in Sea Level Change

Dear Colleagues,

Global mean sea level rise is one of the most direct consequences of global warming. High-precision satellite altimetry, available since 1993, indicates that the global mean sea level is not only rising at a mean rate of 3.1 mm.yr^-1, but has also accelerated over this 25-year period. Satellite altimetry also reveals strong regional variability in sea level trends that significantly differ from the global mean estimates. Ocean warming and continental ice mass loss are the two processes responsible for the global mean sea level rise.At regional scales additional processes are at play such as ocean dynamics, ocean circulation, atmospheric forcing (wind stress, heat flux and freshwater flux), the response of the solid Earth to past deglaciation (glacial isostatic adjustment/GIA) and present-day land ice melt, and associated gravitationl changes. At the local scale, in addition to the above processes, small-scale oceanographic factors, fresh water input from rivers in estuaries and vertical land motions from tectonics and human-induced ground subsidence, etc., contribute to sea level changes on the coast. All these processes are spatially and temporally variable and cause complex sea level changes, in particular at regional and local scales. Understanding and investigating the regional and local patterns of sea level trends and their causes from the basin to the coastal scale are mandatory to assess the potential local impact of sea level rise and to prepare the adaptation of coastal communities threatened by future sea level rise. The goal of this Special Issue is to address the regional and local sea level changes from both observational and modelling approaches, with a focus on the past, present and future trends, including trends in extreme events.

Dr. Anny Cazenave 
Guest Editors

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