Publication Abstracts

Gornitz 2009

Gornitz, V., 2009: Sea level change, post-glacial. In Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. V. Gornitz, Ed., Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series, Springer, pp. 887-893.

The late Quaternary glacial period was characterized by massive ice sheets that covered parts of North America, northern Europe, and several other high-latitude and high-altitude regions. As the ice sheets began to melt and retreat over 20,000 years ago, sea level rose rapidly. However, the time history and magnitude of sea level rise were widely debated, as data from radiocarbon-dated paleosea level indicators began to accumulate in the 1950s and 1960s. A major point of discussion centered on whether the post-glacial marine transgression followed a smooth versus a fluctuating curve that reflected world-wide sea level changes. The acquisition of more accurately dated data and development of a theoretical framework to account for interactions among various geophysical and climatological processes has led to a much clearer understanding of post-glacial sea level rise within the last 30 years. Post-glacial sea level did not rise smoothly, but instead jumped in several sharp and rapid spikes, termed "melt-water pulses". However, the exact number, timing, and magnitude of these major pulses, and their relation to paleoclimate events have yet to be resolved.

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BibTeX Citation

@misc{go05400j,
  author={Gornitz, V.},
  editor={Gornitz, V.},
  title={Sea level change, post-glacial},
  booktitle={Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments},
  year={2009},
  pages={887--893},
  publisher={Springer},
  address={Dordrecht, the Netherlands},
  series={Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - ENCYC
ID  - go05400j
AU  - Gornitz, V.
ED  - Gornitz, V.
PY  - 2009
TI  - Sea level change, post-glacial
BT  - Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments
T3  - Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series
SP  - 887
EP  - 893
PB  - Springer
CY  - Dordrecht, the Netherlands
ER  -

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