Sea level change

Groynes in coastal engineering (CIRIA C793), published by CIRIA in 2020, defines sea level change as: ‘The rise and fall of sea levels throughout time in response to global climate changes and to local subsidence and tectonic changes.’

AR5 Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, Glossary, published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that: ‘Sea level can change, both globally and locally due to (1) changes in the shape of the ocean basins, (2) a change in ocean volume as a result of a change in the mass of water in the ocean, and (3) changes in ocean volume as a result of changes in ocean water density. Global mean sea level change resulting from change in the mass of the ocean is called barystatic. The amount of barystatic sea level change due to the addition or removal of a mass of water is called its sea level equivalent (SLE). Sea level changes, both globally and locally, resulting from changes in water density are called steric. Density changes induced by temperature changes only are called thermosteric, while density changes induced by salinity changes are called halosteric. Barystatic and steric sea level changes do not include the effect of changes in the shape of ocean basins induced by the change in the ocean mass and its distribution. See also Relative sea level and Thermal expansion.’

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