Hidden in caves: Mineral overgrowths reveal unprecedented modern sea-level rise
University of South Florida
www.usf.edu
The early 1900s were an exciting time across the world, with rapid advances in
the steel, electric and automobile industries. The industrial changes also mark
an inflection point in our climate. According to an international team of
researchers led by the University of South Florida (USF), the sea level has
risen 18 centimeters since the start of the 20th century.
The study, featured on the cover of the July 1 issue of Science Advances, works
to identify preindustrial sea levels and examines the impact of modern
greenhouse warming on sea-level rise.
The team, which includes USF graduate students, traveled to Mallorca, Spain –
home to more than 1,000 cave systems, some of which have deposits that formed
millions of years ago. For this study, they focused on analyzing deposits from
4,000 years ago to present day.
The team found evidence of a previously unknown 20 centimeter sea-level rise
that occurred nearly 3,200 years ago when ice caps melted naturally over the
course of 400 years at a rate of 0.5 millimeters per year. Otherwise, despite
major climatic events like Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age, the sea
level remained exceptionally stable until 1900.
USF Geology Professor Bogdan P. Onac exploring Cala Varques Cave to examine
preindustrial mineral overgrowths.