Reconciling past changes in Earth's rotation with 20th century global sea-level rise: Resolving Munk's enigma.

ABSTRACT: In 2002, Munk defined an important enigma of 20th century global mean sea-level (GMSL) rise that has yet to be resolved. First, he listed three canonical observations related to Earth's rotation [(i) the slowing of Earth's rotation rate over the last three millennia inferred from ancient eclipse observations, and changes in the (ii) amplitude and (iii) orientation of Earth's rotation vector over the last century estimated from geodetic and astronomic measurements] and argued that they could all be fit by a model of ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) associated with the last ice age. Second, he demonstrated that prevailing estimates of the 20th century GMSL rise (~1.5 to 2.0 mm/year), after correction for the maximum signal from ocean thermal expansion, implied mass flux from ice sh

SUBMITTER: Mitrovica JX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4730844 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature