A must-read for Gulf Coast scientists, naturalists, and residents . . . From Florida to Mexico and along the shores of Cuba, the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to sea-level rise because of their fragile and low-lying shorelines and adjacent coastal environments. In addition to wetlands, river deltas, beaches, and barrier islands, millions of people who live and work along the Gulf coast are susceptible to the affects of both intense storms in the short term and a gradual rise in sea level over the longer term. While global warming headlines any current discussion of this topic and is certainly a major factor in sea-level change, it is not the only factor. Earthquakes and other crustal shifts, the El Niño/La Niña phenomena, river impoundment and sedimentation, tides, and weather can all affect local, regional, and global sea levels. In Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico, Richard A. Davis Jr. looks at the various causes and effects of rising and falling sea levels in the Gulf of Mexico, beginning with the Gulf’s geological birth over 100 million years ago, and focusing on the last 20,000 years, when global sea levels began rising as the glaciers of the last major ice age melted. Davis reviews the current situation, especially regarding beach erosion and loss of wetlands, and offers a preview of the future, when the Gulf Coast will change markedly as the twenty-first century progresses. Amply illustrated and written in a clear, straightforward style, Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico is a valuable resource for anyone who cares deeply about understanding the past, present, and future of life along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

An important overview of Quaternary climates including detailed Pleistocene and Holocene sea-level changes, for researchers and graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

Volume 3 of Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota; a series edited by John W. Tunnell Jr., Darryl L. Felder, and Sylvia A. Earle A continuation of the landmark scientific reference series from the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota, Volume 3, Geology provides the most up-to-date, systematic, cohesive, and comprehensive description of the geology of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. The six sections of the book address the geologic history, recent depositional environments, and processes offshore and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Scientific research in the Gulf of Mexico region is continuous, extensive, and has broad-based influence upon scientific, governmental, and educational communities. This volume is a compilation of scientific knowledge from highly accomplished and experienced geologists who have focused most of their careers on gaining a better understanding of the geology of the Gulf of Mexico. Their research, presented in this volume, describes and explains the formation of the Gulf Basin, Holocene stratigraphic and sea-level history, energy resources, coral reefs, and depositional processes that affect and are represented along our Gulf coasts. It provides valuable synthesis and interpretation of what is known about the geology of the Gulf of Mexico. Five years in the making, this monumental compilation is both a lasting record of the current state of knowledge and the starting point for a new millennium of study.

Measuring sea-level change – be that rise or fall – is one of the most pressing scientific goals of our time and requires robust scientific approaches and techniques. This Handbook aims to provide a practical guide to readers interested in this challenge, from the initial design of research approaches through to the practical issues of data collection and interpretation from a diverse range of coastal environments. Building on thirty years of international research, the Handbook comprises 38 chapters that are authored by leading experts from around the world. The Handbook will be an important resource to scientists interested and involved in understanding sea-level changes across a broad range of disciplines, policy makers wanting to appreciate our current state of knowledge of sea-level change over different timescales, and many teachers at the university level, as well as advanced-level undergraduates and postgraduate research students, wanting to learn more about sea-level change. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com\go\shennan\sealevel

Authoritative reference on the many laws, regulations, and guidelines related to public and private water boundaries Sea Levels and Coastal Boundaries is a comprehensive resource for making critical decisions regarding the issue of coastal boundaries, planning, and regulation amidst climate change and rising sea levels, providing guidance in understanding of how sea level is changing, how society has defined the boundaries between public waters and bordering uplands as well as national offshore boundaries, and how such boundaries are defined and located. This book defines boundaries in public trust tidal waters, non-tidal waters, and boundaries for riparian and littoral rights and describes practices for determining boundaries where shorelines have been altered due to sea level change in the short and long term. Included case law examples and exhibits cover complex legal issues such as navigability, riparian rights, and interstate compact agreements. The text also contributes to the issues of justice, safeguarding the environment, and related topics by providing clarity on the protection of public domain waters as well as private property rights. Written by a leading surveying expert with decades of experience in the field of riparian and littoral boundaries, Sea Levels and Coastal Boundaries includes information on: High and low water marks, tidal boundaries, and the legal status of artificial water bodies such as reservoirs and canals Waters in the public trust, covering their general criteria, navigability-in-fact versus navigability-in-law, and non-navigable coves and tributaries Boundary definitions of public trust tidal waters in various jurisdictions, covering Anglo-American Common Law, North-Atlantic Low Water States, and Civil Law U.S. national and state maritime boundaries, covering boundaries including bays, entrance points (headlands), and obstructed entrances Sea Levels and Coastal Boundaries is an essential reference for attorneys, surveyors, engineers, coastal planners, oceanographers, land developers, and others dealing with coastal or riparian lands or sea levels in their respective careers, as well as students in related programs of study.