The geodetic sea level—better known as the geoid—is the equipotential surface between the attraction and repelling forces. The actual sea level—known as the dynamic sea surface—closely approximates the geoid surface. The deviations of the dynamic surface from the geoid surface are caused by different oceanographic, hydrographic, and meteorological forces acting upon the distribution of the water masses. Neither the dynamic sea level nor the geoid remains undeformed with time. Sea-level changes refer to changes in mean sea level. Eustatic changes denote changes in mean sea level over time units larger than daily and annual cyclic changes.
Our only true benchmarks are the former sea-level positions in the field. The present level of those data points are the combined function both of past changes in sea level and past changes in crustal level. In opposite to all types of crustal deformations, we term all different types of sea-level changes “eustatic” (Mörner, 1986). In the old concept...
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Cross-references
Coastal Changes, Gradual
El Niño-Southern Oscillation
Eustasy
Geodesy
Late Quaternary Marine Transgression
Sea-Level Changes During the Last Millennium
Sea-Level Datum
Tide-Gauges
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Mörner, NA. (2005). Changing Sea Levels. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_66
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