These results suggest that glacio-isostasy controlled relative sea level in the mid-Atlantic region for tens of thousands of years following retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and continues to influence relative sea level in the region. Scientists hypothesized the landmass in the region had long been buoyed by a pre-historic ice sheet to the north, and that the region has been slowly dropping back into position since the ice melted. Looking at climate change influences alone, average global sea level is likely to rise anywhere from one foot to to 2.5 feet by 2100. Long-lasting subsidence associated with collapse of the MIS 6 forebulge suggests that present-day subsidence related to the collapse of the MIS 2 forebulge will continue for the foreseeable future. Peltier, W.R., 1996, Global sea level rise and glacial isostatic adjustment: An analysis of data from the east coast of North America: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 23, no.
– It sounds like a metaphor but is geological reality: Washington, DC, is sinking. In fact, researchers led by a team at the University of Vermont predict that the ground will drop another six inches by the end of the century, reports UPI. The cause isn't man-made: It's the result of an age-old geologic process that will continue to unfold for thousands of years. But it's presenting the DC region with a dangerous double-whammy—the ground is sinking at the same time that sea levels are rising because of warming temperatures, say the UV researchers. The study confirms a long-held theory on why sea levels around DC are rising faster than any other stretch along the coast, reports the Washington Post. “Right now is the time to start making preparations,” says lead study author Ben DeJong. “Six extra inches of water really matters in this part of the world." He and his team drilled dozens of boreholes around the Chesapeake Bay to figure out what's happening. The culprit is an ancient ice sheet that covered much of North America, then retreated, and the land is oh-so-slowly settling back into place. DC was actually in an area just outside the sheet and "bulged upward," as the Post puts it. "It's a bit like sitting on one side of a water bed filled with very thick honey," says DeJong. "Then the other side goes up. But when you stand, the bulge comes down again." (In another geologic discovery, click to read why the Earth hums.)