frequently there can be significant fluctuations at periodicities of several 

 days to a few weeks. The magnitudes of such changes vary considerably with 

 coastal location but are typically on the order of 10 to 30 cm, achieving a 

 maximum of about 100 cm in the Bay of Bengal. 



The occurrence of an El Nino in the equatorial Pacific is known to have 

 considerable impact on the erosion of the coasts of California and Oregon. 

 This occurs because associated with an El Nino are shifts in the storm paths 

 and at temporary rise in sea- level. An El Nino is a breakdown of the normal 

 equatorial wind and current patterns. This breakdown releases water which is 

 normally set up in the western Pacific by the trade winds. The release 

 creates a "wave" of sea- level rise, which first propagates eastward along the 

 equator and then poleward along the eastern ocean margin. Such "waves" have 

 been measured in the tide records of the western United States, amounting to 

 some 20 to 60 cm and lasting for several months. Such transient sea- level 

 changes have likely played an important role in coastal erosion. (Authors) . 



174 KOMINZ, M. A. 1984. "Oceanic Ridge Volumes and Sea- level Change - An 

 Error Analysis," American Association of Petroleum Geologists . Memoir 36, 

 pp 109-127. 



Sea-level fluctuations due to changing mid-ocean ridge volumes have been 

 calculated for the last 80 million years in 5-million year intervals. An 

 analysis of the errors involved in this set of calculations includes: the 

 effect of omitting calculations for crust more than 70-million year older than 

 the ridge crest at any given time; inaccurate estimates of stage poles and 

 ridge lengths; subducted ridges for which only a remnant triple junction 

 remains; completely subducted ridges; and uncertainty in absolute dating of 

 magnetic anomalies. The maximum possible sea- level 80 million years ago was 

 365 m (1,198 ft); the minimum was 45 m (148 ft) with a most probable height of 

 about 230 m (755 ft) above present sea-level. A decrease in spreading rates 

 since the Late Cretaceous was the primary cause of a volume decrease in 

 mid-ocean ridges. (Modified Abstract). 



175 KOPEC, R. J. 1971. "Global Climate Change and the Impact of a Maximum 

 Sea-Level on Coastal Settlement," Journal of Geography, pp 541-550. 



In the past decade, scientists have become increasingly concerned with 

 man's pollution of the atmosphere and his inadvertent ability to effect change 

 in climate at macro scales. The nature of such change is not yet known, but 

 in this article, the premise that continued atmospheric pollution will promote 

 higher air temperatures and ultimately coastal flooding through melting of all 

 solid water forms, is accepted as inevitable. The author speculates on the 

 probability of such an event and cartographically analyzes the possible extent 

 of change in continental shapes and sizes, as well as the impact of world 

 inundation on population densities and distributions. Projecting to 2050 A.D. 

 as the earliest possible date for the maximization of this occurrence, it is 

 expected that the expanding oceans will have reduced continental surfaces by 

 approximately 17%, and roughly 19% of the population of the mid-21st century 

 will have been relocated. (Author). 



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