Learning from temp, sea level fluctuation in the Eemian
The research upon which this was based appeared in the September 11 issue of Nature Geoscience.
Introducing the Eemian.
New evidence from fossilized reefs suggest large sea-level changes during interglacial warm period, 120,000 years ago
Posted on September 12, 2011 by Bob Berwyn
New evidence gathered from coral reef fossils suggests that sea levels fluctuated by 13 to 20 feet within the span of just a few thousands of years during a warm interglacial period known as the Eemian Age, about 125,000 years ago.
“This was the last time that climate was as warm as — or warmer than — today,” said William G. Thompson, a geochronologist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “If today’s ice sheets continue to melt, we may be headed for a period of ice sheet and sea-level change that is more dynamic than current observations of ice sheets suggest
“The geological record offers a longer perspective on rates of change,” Thompson said. “And sea-level changes during previous warm intervals are especially relevant to today’s situation.” Sea levels during the Last Interglacial are known to have been about 20 feet higher, on average, than they are today.share
“The real surprise is that sea levels were oscillating during this period … How much sea level will rise over the next century or two is a crucial question for the significant part of the world’s population that lives in coastal zones,” Thompson said.
The finding of a significant sea-level oscillation 120,000 years ago is in sharp contrast to the last 5,000 years, where sea level has been relatively stable. “It appears that the smaller ice sheets of the Last Interglacial were significantly less stable than today’s ice sheets,” Thompson said.
Should the current warming trend continue, Thompson said, a scenario similar to that of the Last Interglacial could result. “Variable sea level during the Last Interglacial points to instability in the polar ice sheets, which were somewhat smaller than today. If changing climate leads to smaller ice sheets in the future, this may provoke similar instability.”