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Saul
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There is in the past significant very rapid rises and falls of sea level. As there is no mechanism to rapidly melt and reform ice sheets to explain the sea level rise and fall based on mass balance (more or less water in the ocean) specifically what is causing the rapid changes in sea level is not known.
For example, during the cycle Heinrich events the sea level rises and then drops 10m to 15m. (see link below.)
The controversy continues in the Holocene period.
http://geochemistry.usask.ca/bill/courses/International Field Studies/Sea level.pdf
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/figsonly/327/5967/860
For example, during the cycle Heinrich events the sea level rises and then drops 10m to 15m. (see link below.)
The controversy continues in the Holocene period.
http://geochemistry.usask.ca/bill/courses/International Field Studies/Sea level.pdf
Sea Level Change Through the Last Glacial Cycle
Furthermore, the pre-LGM period is characterized by substantial fluctuations in sea level of 10 to 15 m about every 6000 years. The timing of these rapid change events during oxygen isotope stage 3 (OIS–3) apparently coincides with Heinrich ice-rafting events recorded in North Atlantic sediments (61), which suggests that they reflect major ice discharges from continent-based or shelf grounded ice sheets (62).
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/figsonly/327/5967/860
Sea-Level Highstand 81,000 Years Ago in Mallorca
Global sea level and Earth’s climate are closely linked. Using speleothem encrustations from coastal caves on the island of Mallorca, we determined that western Mediterranean relative sea level was ~1 meter above modern sea level ~81,000 years ago during marine isotope stage (MIS) 5a. Although our findings seemingly conflict with the eustatic sea-level curve of far-field sites, they corroborate an alternative view that MIS 5a was at least as ice-free as the present, and they challenge the prevailing view of MIS 5 sea-level history and certain facets of ice-age theory.
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