Drivers of 20th century sea-level change in southern New Zealand determined from proxy and instrumental records

It is thought that more than 600 million people live in coastal areas less than 10m above sea level. There is therefore considerable interest in understanding the link between global climate change and sea level rise, and how local factors may mitigate or aggravate global sea level rise at the local scale. For instance, sea level rise may not only be determined by global factors such as ice melting from land to ocean and thermal expansion resulting from higher ocean temperatures, but also local factors such as changing ocean and atmospheric circulation (eg wind speed and direction, water temperature and saltiness). 

Garrett E et al. contribute to resolving this problem by reconstructing sea level change over the last few thousand years in New Zealand, providing a rare insight into long-term sea level change in the Southern Hemisphere. They find that although many changes are consistent with global influences, local factors also provided important controls, and may in fact have contributed to the significant deceleration of sea level rise in the area in the late 20th Century that has been contrary to the global trend. 

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