Getting into hot water – global warming and rising sea levels
Useful sites
Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (Australia)
Sea-level rise: What does the future hold?
Gives a brief and clearly written overview of sea-level rise and its impacts.
Briefing: A post-IPCC AR4 update on sea level rise
Addresses the science of sea-level rise in more detail and its implications.
Global warming and rising oceans (Actionbioscience.org)
A good overview article. Also provides annotated links to relevant sites.
Sea level rise (CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Australia)
A website with information on sea level rise, its causes and estimates of global and regional sea levels.
Australian Antarctic Division
Science fact files – ice and snow
Provides information on topics such as 'Ice shelves' and 'Ice cores and climate change'.
Australian Antarctic Magazine
Antarctic ice and the global climate system (Autumn 2002)
The Southern Ocean's global reach: a crucial cog in Earth's heat engine (Spring 2002)
Sea-level changes: reducing the uncertainty (Spring 2002)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Rising seas threaten west Antarctic (News in Science, 25 June 2008)
Predicts the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its effect on sea levels.
Rising sea level in Britain (The Science Show, 3 February 2007)
Looks at the impact of rising sea levels on England's north-east coast.
Icy climate (Earthbeat, 30 October 2004)
An Arctic researcher presents evidence that the melting of polar ice sheets is happening faster and more extensively than previously thought.
Sea levels, oceans and coastal areas (Climate change information kit, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)
Describes the effects of global climate change on sea levels, oceans and coastal areas.
Understanding 20th century sea-level rise and projections for the future by Dr John Church (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering)
This paper discusses instrumental observations of sea-level change, the contributions to sea-level rise from different sources (eg, thermal expansion of the ocean, ice sheets) and estimations of sea-level rise to 2100 and beyond. Uses some technical language.
Changes in sea level (Global Resource Information Database, Norway)
This chapter on sea-level change is from the IPCC's third assessment report, Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. The report is a comprehensive and up-to-date scientific assessment of past, present and future climate change. The chapter includes an executive summary and six sections (eg, 'Factors contributing to sea level change' and 'Can 20th century sea level changes be explained?') that can be accessed individually.
Maps and graphics (United Nations Environment Progamme GRID Arendal)
Provides a wide range of graphics showing the impact of climate change, including rising sea level.
Sea level rise (OzEstuaries, Australia)
Provides estimates of global sea level rise and a table of observed sea level changes around Australia.
Sea level rise (Firetree.net)
Shows map of Australia with possible sea levels due to global warming. Controls for sea level rise and zooming in on a region are available.
Page updated February 2009.