Sea Levels and Lines

Sea Levels and Lines provides a comprehensive overview of the physical, technical and legal aspects of water boundaries including boundaries of both tidal and non-tidal waters as well as offshore maritime boundaries. Included is an in-depth discussion of the currently widely publicized global long-term sea level change and its impact on boundaries.

This topic is addressed from three aspects. The first is a study of the constant motion of sea and other water levels due to the tides, meteorological effects, and The second is a review of the legal guidelines that have developed over the centuries since the earliest of Roman civil codes. The final aspect involves technical approaches that have developed over the centuries to define and delineate coastal and maritime boundaries in the sea as well as in the major non-tidal waters of the Earth. As a result, the book will be of value for anyone interested in the determination of such boundaries, in the legal guidelines governing their determination, in the management of coastal and riparian lands, or in sea level changes in general.

George M. Cole is a professional land surveyor and civil engineer with a lengthy career specializing in riparian and maritime boundaries. Dr. Cole's background includes hydrographic and geodetic surveying as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (now a component of NOAA); service as the Florida State Cadastral Surveyor where his duties included coordinating the State's coastal mapping program; direction of private surveying and mapping firms in the U.S. and Latin America; and service as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico and the Florida State University. During his career, he has also authored a number of surveying texts and technical papers as well as serving as an expert witness in numerous cases before local, state and federal courts.