The science of sea-level change sits at the nexus of several disciplines, integrating processes from the atmosphere, cryosphere, and solid earth. Coupling knowledge from diverse disciplines has enabled transformative interpretations of past and present sea level and ice sheet change.

At the same time that our knowledge of the dynamics of sea-level change through time has rapidly expanded, so too has the human influence on the ever accelerating signal of sea-level rise. Just as sea-level rise is an integrator of scientific disciplines, it is also an integrator of human experience. While many people have personal connections to the coast, even those who don’t will be impacted by disruption to transportation systems and housing markets as sea level rises.

This talk will summarize advances made in sea-level science and in communicating this science to the public with an eye to how these parallel efforts may evolve in the coming century.