Sea level drop explained

Sea level drop refers to the phenomenon in which the shrinking weights of melting glaciers cause the surrounding land to rise and the relative sea level to fall.[1] [2]

Background

In Höfn, Iceland, the sea level is dropping relative to the land at a rate of about 1.71NaN1 per year, and nearby it is dropping 3.81NaN1 per year.[3] The effect in Iceland is mainly caused by the Vatnajökull glacier. If the land rises enough, the Hornafjörður fjord would become impassable from ships, which would significantly hurt the town.[4] Other countries experience this effect as well; in a portion of Alaska and Canada, the relative sea level is falling by up to 21NaN1 a year. In Norway, Sweden and Finland, an effect called Fennoscandian land elevation causes the relative sea level to fall by up to 0.71NaN1 a year.[5] [6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Naranjo . Laura . 2013-10-11 . When Oceans Drop Earthdata . en.
  2. Web site: ClimateWire . Stephanie Paige Ogburn . A Scientist Explains the Mystery of Recent Sea-Level Drop . 2023-06-03 . Scientific American . en.
  3. Web site: Kottasová . Ivana . Doran . Temujin . A drop in the ocean . 2023-06-03 . www.cnn.com . en.
  4. Web site: Ástvaldsson . Jóhann Páll . 2019-08-21 . Land Rising Due to Melting Glaciers . 2023-06-03 . Iceland Review . en-US.
  5. Web site: Land uplift . 2023-06-03 . National Land Survey of Finland . en.
  6. Web site: 2017-07-28 . Where the land rises faster than the sea . 2023-06-03 . correctiv.org . en-US.