Sea levels erratic during latest ice age

Cave research finds new evidence of surprising rise 81,000 years ago

Cave formations along the coast of an island in the Mediterranean Sea hold evidence that sea level can rise and fall abruptly during an ice age, a finding that casts some doubt on current notions about how those lengthy cold spells develop and progress.

HIGH-RISE EVIDENCE The mineral crusts on high-and-dry formations in coastal caves of Majorca indicate that during the latest ice age, sea level briefly and inexplicably rose more than one meter higher than today’s level.