Other impacts

Although the IPCC lists five impacts as the main consequences of sea level rise there are many others. Sea level rise has a profound effect on the rate of sedimentation for different parts of the coastal gradient [Olff et al., 1997]. Peak rates of sedimentation occur at higher elevations on the march and less sedimentation occurs on the lower elevations [Olff et al., 1997]. Varying of sedimentation rates will result in changing vegetation zonation and succession on marshes [Olff et al., 1997]. In addition, storm surges would force large quantities of shoreface sediments through inlets and create tidal deltas on which barriers would later transgress [Dubois, 1990].

There are many places to find research on specific, but individual impacts of sea level rise. However, there are some sources that incorporate these variables into a comprehensive picture of the effects of sea level rise. Coastal communities are affected by many variables and only a handful of the most important variables have been fully realized in their relation to sea level rise. As more research is done and the knowledge base is expanded and incorporated into existing research, more accurate assessments about the impacts and hazards of sea level change can be made.

Space Geodesy Group
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
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