Relative sea level

Relative sea level is the height of the sea surface measured against nearby land. It changes through shifts in ocean water level and vertical movement of the land.

Eustatic sea-level change: A change in mean sea level caused by changes in ocean-water volume or the size of ocean basins. It captures the ocean-wide component of relative sea-level change.
Mean sea level: The average height of the sea surface over a specified period and location. Relative sea-level records compare land elevation with a locally averaged sea surface.
Coastal flooding: Inundation of normally dry coastal land by seawater. Higher relative sea level allows tides and storms to flood farther inland.
Holocene sea-level rise: The rise of global and regional sea levels during the current interglacial epoch, beginning about 11,700 years ago. Its local records combine melting ice, ocean change, and postglacial land adjustment.
Global mean sea-level rise: An increase in the average height of the global ocean surface over time. It describes the global signal, not the locally experienced change after land motion.
Vertical land motion: Upward or downward movement of the land surface over time. Land uplift lowers relative sea level; subsidence raises it.
Sea-level datum: A reference surface or benchmark used to express elevations and water levels. A stable datum is needed to compare sea-level measurements across time.
Storm surge: An abnormal rise in coastal water level driven mainly by storm winds and pressure. Surge is superimposed on local relative sea level when estimating extreme water levels.
Chesapeake Bay impact crater: A buried impact structure beneath Chesapeake Bay, formed by an asteroid or comet impact about 35 million years ago. Sediment compaction above the structure contributes to unusually rapid local subsidence.
Sea-level rise: A long-term increase in the average height of the ocean surface. Relative sea-level change is the coastal expression of broader ocean-level change combined with land movement.

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