Sea level Variability and Change

There is observational evidence that global mean sea levels are rising and there is concern that the rate of rise will accelerate throughout the 21st century, significantly threatening growing coastal communities. Modern society is vulnerable to even small changes in sea level. More than 600 million people currently live within 10 m of present-day sea level, in an area that generates 10% of the world’s total GDP. An assessment of 136 of the world’s largest port cities estimated that, by the 2070s, the population exposed to flooding risk may grow by more than a factor of three in these cities due to the combined effects of sea level rise, land subsidence, population growth and urbanization, with asset exposure increasing to more than ten times current levels. Therefore, understanding future sea level rise and variability is of utmost importance.

In June 2015 we are holding a workshop in Majorca, Spain with a focus on sea level variability and change (see https://slrmallorca.wordpress.com for more details). Over 100 sea level experts from around the world will attend this workshop, from a range of different disciplines. We would like to propose a Research Topic, based on the papers presented at this workshop.

The main aims of the workshop are to: 1.) Evaluate the current state-of-knowledge of sea level science; 2.) Identify gaps and unresolved questions in any aspect of sea level science; and 3.) Design future research to address these issue. The workshop will provide a forum for the discussion and the exchange of ideas on key sea level issues, and foster collaboration across the wide range of disciplines involved in sea level research. All aspects of sea level changes will be covered, from global to regional, observations and modelling, processes driving mean sea level changes and extremes, from the geological scale to the instrumental era and future projections and including impacts on the coastal zones.