News

World-wide experts on sea-level change meet at conference in Indonesia

(27 September 2005)

A team of experts, including a representative from Durham University, will be examining new findings relating to sea-level change and the catastrophic impacts of the tsunami at a conference in Indonesia this week.

The researchers, part of a UNESCO-funded project, are concerned with improving knowledge of the interaction between the oceans, coasts and human and environmental activities during the last 2 million years. Much of the scientists’ expertise lies in their ability to unravel evidence of past changes in sea-level and to understand the causes.

Professor Antony Long, Head of Durham’s Geography Department said: “By looking at the past we see that coasts change rapidly in response to sudden sea-level rises and falls, sometimes caused by extreme events like tsunami or large storms. We must not lose sight of the fact that coasts are natural buffers that protect the land from the energy of the ocean – anything we do to alter their natural state must respect this vital role”.

The week-long conference will comprise a series of research presentations followed by a field visit to examine evidence for past tsunamis, earthquakes, as well as land movements caused by the Krakatau volcano.

Dr Wahyoe Hantoro from the Marine Geological Institute of Indonesia is hosting the meeting. He commented: “We welcome this team of experts to Indonesia. The Sunda Strait region is a superb scientific laboratory for studying the interplay between variations in coastal geography and ocean currents, climate change and carbon cycling, as well as tectonic catastrophes, notably the eruption of 1883 Krakatau and the Asian tsunami”.

For further information, please contact: Niamh McElherron Email: c.n.mcelherron@durham.ac.uk