Seminar

Holocene Relative Sea Level

Holocene Relative Sea Level on the South China Coast

  • Date

    November 30,2021

  • Time

    3:30PM

  • Venue

    JL104

  • Speaker

    Mr. Kwok Yin YU (Supervisor: Dr. Nicole Khan) Department of Earth Sciences, HKU

Sea-level rise is one of the most urgent societal threats related to present and future climate change. In the latest IPCC AR6 report, global mean sea level (GMSL) is projected to be 25 to 50 cm higher in 2050 compared to 2018 (Fox-Kemper et al., 2021). However, GMSL projection is insufficient for planning of adaptive response  (Kopp et al., 2014) because local decisions require local projections which accommodate different timeframes and spatially varied local processes. Therefore, determining the rate, mechanism, and spatial variability of RSL change is crucial to enhance the local projections of future relative sea-level (RSL) change on the South China Coast.

This project will produce new reliable RSL records using the improved and refined transfer function technique (Wright et al., 2011). Existing RSL records will be reinterpreted and synthesised into a regional sea-level database. This database will provide better constrain to the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) model, and provide parameters of eustasy, hydro-isostasy, plate margin tectonic and local geology to enhance understanding in sea-level change, which is a major factor driving coastal geomorphic evolution.

Additional information: Mr. Kwok Yin YU, Howard, howardky@connect.hku.hk