During warming times, polar ice melts and sea level rises. Over the past 10,000 years, the earth's temperature has been increasing and the sea has been rising. During the last century the rate of warming has increased and the rise in sea level is accelerating. Evidence for this rise can be seen in ancient structures that are being flooded and coastal areas that are being invaded by the sea. There is little that humans can do to slow this rise, and thus our coastal building plans must take it into account.
Storms can bring about a dramatic rise in local sea level in two ways.
First of all, most large storms are associated with an area of low atmospheric pressure.