Testing and Improving Models of Ice Sheet and Sea Level Evolution

海平面上升是与当前和预期的全球变暖有关的主要危险之一。在全球范围内，有两个过程将主导这一变化：陆地冰的融化(格陵兰和南极冰盖、较小的冰川和冰帽)和海洋变暖(导致海洋水量扩大)。在加拿大，以及在上一次冰河时代经历冰川作用的其他高纬度地区，由于古代冰盖融化而进行的陆地运动也是造成今天海平面变化的一个重要因素。例如，大西洋加拿大的沿海地区正在经历海平面上升(相对于全球平均水平)，原因是在距今20,000-7,000年之间冰川融化导致的地面下沉。

Sea-level rise is one of the primary hazards associated with current and expected global warming. There are two processes that will dominate this change at global scales: melting of land ice (Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, smaller glaciers and ice caps) and warming of the oceans (resulting in an expansion in ocean water volume). In Canada, as well as other high latitude regions that experienced glaciation during the last Ice Age, on-going land motion in response to the melting of ancient ice sheets is also a significant contributor to present day sea-level change. For example, coastal areas of Atlantic Canada are experiencing enhanced sea level rise (relative to the global mean) because of land subsidence due to the melting of ice between 20,000-7,000 years before present.