Explain the role of sea level change in the formation of both emergent and submergent coastlines (8)

Emergent coastlines are formed via the falling of sea level in relation to the land, otherwise known as isostatic change. They create landforms such as raised beaches and fossil cliffs as found at the Isle of Arran in Scotland. These features occur following an ice age when the land rebounds, causing the original height of it to increase, leaving features like fossil cliffs and raised beaches that are higher than what was their original position. Whilst these raised formations exist are formed, a contemporary cliff and beach are left behind which reflects the current sea level.

Submergent coastlines are caused due to eustatic change, which is the change of the actual volume of water in the oceans rather than the land. Landforms that can be found along a submergent coastline are rias and fjords. Rias like that by the river Dart are created when a rising sea level drowns a river valley with steep sides, and a fjord is a similar process but for the flooding of a U-shaped glacial valley.

Submergent coastlines also form dalmatian coasts. These are where there is a discordant coast with mountains that run parallel to the sea. The rising sea level submerges the crests of these mountains (valleys) creating inlets of land and leaves a chain of islands which are concordant to the coast. The term dalmatian coast was originally used to describe the coast of Croatia along the Adriatic sea.