Sea-level changes since the last glacial maximum have varied considerably from place to place. This book offers a discussion of the main causes of these changes, and of the methods employed to recognise former shorelines. Present-day sea-level trends are covered along with significant sea-level histories, and examples are used to illustrate these areas. The book concludes by showing how these relative sea-level changes can be used to assess trends of tectonic movements, recognise and date seismic displacements, infer climatic changes, and improve geophysical models of the earth s interior.