Explain the processes currently responsible for worldwide sea level rise. How will these changes in sea level affect coastal nations?
What will be an ideal response?
Two main factors contribute to the global rise in sea level: (1 ) thermal expansion of ocean water as it warms and (2 ) an increase in the amount of water in the ocean from the melting of ice on land. Note that the melting of floating sea ice (such as in the Arctic Ocean) or floating ice shelves (such as those that fringe Antarctica) does not contribute to sea level rise because that ice/water is already in the ocean. More specifically, in order of their overall contribution to the observed global rise in sea level (Figure 16.31 ), the main contributors are: 1. The melting of the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets; 2. The thermal expansion of ocean surface waters; 3. The melting of land glaciers and small ice caps; 4. The thermal expansion of deep-ocean waters
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