Modern
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Morphological approaches
Morphology and stratigraphy
Neotectonics
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Glacier margins and sea level
Carselands
Biostratigraphy
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Storegga Slide tsunami
Climate change and sea level
Bibliography
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Modern perspectives
11. Patterns of land uplift
Over the last decade, many scientists have sought to define and understand the patterns of land uplift in Scotland which the evidence for sea level change indicates. Theoretical studies, based upon the structure of the Earth’s interior, the weight of the ice, and the weight of the water offshore, on the one hand (e.g. Lambeck, 1995; Shennan et al., 2000; Peltier et al., 2002; Bradley et al., 2011), and empirical studies, based upon measurement of the altitudes of former sea levels, on the other (e.g. Smith et al., 1969; 2000; 2006; Cullingford et al., 1991), produce similar results near the centre of land uplift, but the empirical studies produce much more accurate results farther away though within the area of observations. Improvements in both approaches are awaited, since not only will this be of value in understanding the Scottish coastline; it will contribute to an understanding of other areas of the world where the departure of ice sheets and glaciers has resulted in land uplift.