What are some harmful effects of rising levels of carbon dioxide?
Modern sea levels appear to respond to global temperature changes but this has not always been the case. Sea levels are controlled by at least three factors: 1. Isostatic reaction (isostatic rebound as a result of the unloading of ice or sediment from continental plates and the corresponding sagging of oceanic plates as quantities of asthenospheric material is displaced from regions beneath oceanic plates to regions beneath continental plates – see Lisitzin (1974) & Watts (2001)) 2. Extent of continental ice caps and glaciers (that lock water away from ocean basins and this is affected in turn by atmospheric circulation) 3. Global humidity (more atmospheric water and water sequestered for the precipitation cycle means less water for the oceans) This is why temperature and sea level do not always correlate. An example where isostatic reaction played a dominant role is the sea level rise in response to the Permian Ice Age and the corresponding fall in sea level due to subsequent warming.
