Seminar

The coast of East and Southeast Asia is a far-field region and thus a scientifically valuable site for
sea level and coastal study. The high population density in low-lying coastal areas of this region
means a high vulnerability to human society if sea level is going to rise in the future. This
research is designed to tackle two scientific issues:

(1) Analyze the past local land level change include the levering effect and tectonic movements;
and
(2) Investigate how coastal system have responded to past sea level change.

In order to tackle the first issue, three glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models were simulated
to produce a series of predictions for this study area, and 560 sea level data from published
sources were re-analyzed and re-calibrated to convert them into useable sea level index points
for sea level reconstructions. For the second issue, the sedimentary sequence of a protected
coastal wetland (Mai Po) in Hong Kong was investigated. Its developmental history and how it
has responded to the past sea level change were examined.