Ecological impacts of sea level rise
Coral colonies in Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands, responding to relative sea-level rise of 0.6 m caused by subsidence from an earthquake in 2007
Sea-level rise of up to 1 m or more is anticipated by 2100 due to melting of ice sheets and glaciers and expansion of water as it warms. Ecosystems occupying coastal areas will need to adapt to new conditions, accrete vertically, or migrate in response to changing physical conditions. I use bio-physical models and empirical data to understand how coastal marine ecosystems, such as seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs may respond to sea-level rise.
See: Saunders et al. 2015, Saunders et al. 2014, Saunders et al. 2013, Lovelock et al. 2015