Why will sea level rise as the climate warms?
We discussed the
effect of changes in the size of glaciers and ice
sheets on sea level in the context of the 100,000
year glacial-interglacial cycles that have
characterized earthÕs climate over the past 1 million
years.
In addition, sea
level will rise as the climate warms due to the
thermal expansion of seawater--i.e. the fact
that seawater expands as it warms.