Sea Level Change
Sea level change involves both eustatic (global changes in water volume) and isostatic (local changes in land elevation) processes. Current sea level rise (~3.4 mm/year) results primarily from thermal expansion and glacier melting due to climate change.
Real World
The Maldives, with an average elevation of just 1.5 metres above sea level, has lost several uninhabited islands to rising seas since 2000, prompting the government to purchase land in India as a contingency for relocating its 500,000 citizens.
Exam Focus
Distinguish eustatic from isostatic change clearly; examiners penalise conflating the two processes.
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