Collaborative Research: Sea-Level Changes along the Atlantic Coast of the United States: Implications for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Models and Current Rates of Sea-Level Change

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This project will establish a relative sea-level (RSL) database from the Atlantic Coast of the United States and combine it with data from Atlantic Canada, the United States Gulf Coast and the Caribbean since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These data will be used to validate and refine Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models. There is an urgent need for a re-assessment of the quality of the observational evidence of former sea levels from the Atlantic Coast of the United States, as well as concepts inherent in the interpretation of the data. Furthermore, other factors such as sediment compaction and tidal range variations have rarely been taken into account. Such deficiencies in RSL histories represent a significant gap in our understanding of sea level over the past million years, its driving mechanisms and spatially variable expression. They also constitute an extremely important limitation to the dynamical models of the GIA process that are currently employed to evaluate tide-gauge and satellite records of sea-level change so as to isolate the contribution due to climate warming. Broader Impacts: The proposed research will provide unique mentoring opportunities between the PIs and students because the project integrates a wide range of disciplines (e.g. geomorphology, stratigraphy, geophysics, mathematics and physical oceanography). Undergraduates and graduates will be integrally involved in the research and conduct projects through the interdisciplinary degree programs of Pennsylvania State University, Tulane University and University of Pennsylvania, and have access to the theoretical geodynamics group at the University of Toronto and the United States Geological Survey, Woods Hole Science Center. The experience and training they receive will provide fresh perspectives to students planning to embark on careers with environmental firms or government agencies, while mentoring those going on for advanced degrees. A WWW resource will deliver open access to the sea-level database, GIA models, tools, services, publications and reports for academic, government and industrial scientists, educators, students, policy makers and the larger user community. The sea-level observations and the GIA model will form an important and unique contribution to the assessment of national hazards.