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Chapter 13 - Sea level and life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2014

David Pugh  and
Philip Woodworth
David Pugh
Affiliation:
National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool
Philip Woodworth
Affiliation:
National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool
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Summary

Most of the time I understated what I saw because I couldn’t find words powerful enough, but that’s the nature of marine life and the inland bays I grew up on. You’d have to be a scientist, a poet and a comedian to hope to describe it all accurately, and even then you’d often fall short.

Jim Lynch, The Highest Tide

Introduction

This chapter contains our personal selection of topics on how the tides and sea-level changes have played important roles in the development of life, and in human history. The populations of coastal zones are increasing dramatically, and tides, storm surges and long-term sea-level changes will continue to play important roles in our lives. Impacts of sea-level change will take place alongside those due to many other climate and environmental stresses.

It is our belief that, if these impacts are to be avoided, or managed, as far as possible, then we have to learn more about the space and time scales of sea-level change and the various reasons for them. Also we have to communicate a greater appreciation of how tides and sea levels have contributed to the coastal environment in general, providing many communities with food sources and places to live and thrive, contributions that continue in many and varied ways today.

Type
Chapter
Information
Sea-Level Science
Understanding Tides, Surges, Tsunamis and Mean Sea-Level Changes
 , pp. 345 - 360
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2014

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