Washington, Alaska, and Japan) are customarily excluded in such trend analysis. Yet 

 little is really known about continental subsidence rates at the remaining tide gauge 

 stations. 



6 5 



4 3 2 



YEARS BPX 1000 



YEARS AD 



Figure 3. A. Sea-level fluctuations on the central South Carolina coast 

 over the last 4000 years (modified from Brooks et al . 1979). Curve is based 

 on radiocarbon dated archaeological samples and basal peats. B. Sea-level 

 fluctuations on the North Sea coast of Germany since 650 A.D. (modified from 

 Rhode 1978). The curve is based on hisitorical data. 



In view of these complications it is remarkable that five independent analyses of 

 sea-level rise have arrived at nearly identical global rates. Gutenberg (1941) appears to 

 have been the first to identify a world-wide rise in sea-level since the mid-1800's at a 

 rate of about I mm/yr. Analysis of a larger number of stations by Fairbridge and Krebs 

 (1962) yielded a rate of rise of 1.2 mm/yr between 1900 and 1950. A comprehensive 

 analysis of all reliable U.S. tide gauge data by Hicks (1978) gave a relative rise (with 

 respect to North America as a whole) of 1.5 mm/yr (Figure 4A) for a 36-year period from 

 1940 through 1975. Emery (1980) found that the sea levels at 247 tide gauge stations of 

 the world did exhibit a rise of about 3 mm/yr since 1940. The most recent study (Gornitz 

 et al. 1982) which is based on more than 700 tide gauge stations. All geographic regions 

 of the world experienced a sea-level rise (after correcting for uplift or subsidence of the 

 land when known), and the global rate of rise is 1.2 mm/yr (Figure 4B)(Gornitz et al. 

 1982). This study (Gornitz et al. 1982) may come the closest yet to actually having 

 identified global eustatic sea-level change. 



167 



