Sea Level Rose Rapidly 121,000 Years Ago, Study Suggests

A four-year examination of fossil coral reefs in Mexico shows that global sea levels abruptly rose 6.5 to 10 feet during the last warm interval between ice ages, according to a study published in the journal Nature. The study — which tracked the growth and death of the reefs using a variety of techniques, including one similar to radiocarbon dating — concluded that the rapid sea level rise occurred within a span of 50 to 100 years approximately 121,000 years ago, when the earth was warmer than it is today and large-scale melting of polar ice sheets occurred. “The potential for sustained rapid ice loss and catastrophic sea-level rise in the near-future is confirmed by our discovery of sea level instability,” the authors wrote. Other researchers said that without further corroborating evidence, they are not convinced that the Nature paper conclusively proves that such a precipitous sea level rise occurred.