6. Sea-Level Variations over the Past 5000 Years
Sea-level rise is a potentially major societal problem for much of the world's coastal areas. Tide-gauge records suggest a recent acceleration of sea-level rise, but there is no consensus about whether the current rate of sea-level rise represents an acceleration from a relatively stable late Holocene sea level, or whether the historical (late 19th and 20th century) sea-level rise began before or after industrial carbon dioxide emissions. It is possible that current trends represent "natural" emergence from the Little Ice Age. Both the historical (tide gauge) record and future projections (e.g., IPCC) of sea-level change need to be placed in a geologic context, because sea level varies on many time scales, including events (storms), tidal cycles, interannual to decadal scales (e.g. ENSO, NAO), and several longer time scales. Placing recent and predicted sea-level trends in a longer-term (the last 1000-5000 years) context is central to improving our understanding of the linkages between climate change and sea-level change, as well as the relationship between sea-level rise and coastal evolution. Presently, there are few high-resolution sea-level records spanning the last few millennia (e.g., salt-marsh records from Connecticut and Delaware) that can be used to address these questions. This research opportunity seeks to add to and improve upon this limited data set.
The successful candidate will conduct integrated stratigraphic, geochronological and environmental studies of Holocene sea-level variability along the eastern United States, to relate Holocene sea level to global climate, ice volume, atmospheric CO2 patterns, and will apply results to better understand modern sea-level rise. This includes designing and conducting field work, particularly using innovative stratigraphic and dating methods. The project may also take advantage of ongoing and past USGS field studies. USGS study areas include the Gulf of Maine, Cape Cod, southern Long Island (particularly Fire Island), the Delmarva peninsula, the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the South Carolina coast.
Proposed Duty Station: Woods Hole, MA
Areas of Ph.D.: Geological sciences, with a strong background in coastal geology, micropaleontology, salt-marsh ecology, coastal processes, geochronology
Qualifications: Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Research Geologist, Research Oceanographer
(This type of research is performed by those who have backgrounds for the
occupations stated above. However, other titles may be applicable depending
on the applicant's background, education, and research proposal. The final
classification of the position will be made by the Personnel specialist.)
Research Advisor(s): Rob Thieler, (508) 457-2350, rthieler@usgs.gov; John Bratton, (508) 457-2254, jbratton@usgs.gov
Personnel Office contact: Rosetta Alexander, (703) 648-7468, ralexand@usgs.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc/2006/opps/opp6.html
Direct inquiries to Rama K. Kotra at rkotra@usgs.gov
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Last modified: 14:28:32 Thu 26 Aug 2004
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