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Global Warming
An increase in greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxide, is believed to be intensifying global warming, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). You can see evidence of the warming global temperatures in the reduction of the size of major ice sheets and glaciers across the world -- in addition to the fact that the two hottest years on record were 2005 and 2010, according to NASA research.
Sea-Level Rise
The IPCC has data showing how rising global temperatures are expected to increase the melting of the world's major ice sheets, causing them to shrink. This melting will release vast quantities of previously frozen water into the oceans, producing a global rise in sea level. For example, "National Geographic" demonstrates how sea-level rise increased over the 20th century, with a further rise of seven to 23 inches predicted by the end of the 21st century. This places coastal areas under significant risk of being lost under rising sea levels, with low-lying islands such as the Maldives under the greatest threat.
Coastal Flooding and Extreme Events
Sea-level rise is expected to increase the amount of coastal flooding, with millions of people projected to be flooded every year by the 2080s, according to the IPCC. Furthermore, rising atmospheric and ocean temperatures are predicted to increase the number of extreme climatic events, such as hurricanes, as explained by the Natural Resources Defense Council. This will place the people and infrastructure located in coastal regions at greater risk due to the potential damage that hurricanes can inflict.
Postglacial Rebound
The weight of ice held in ice sheets and glaciers can cause the earth's crust to sink into the mantle. As rising temperatures melt this ice, the land rebounds and begins to rise. This process is called glacial isostasy, with glacial eustasy referring to the changes in sea level as a consequence of the changing volume of glacier ice on land. The importance of these processes for coastlines is that they can reduce the impact of sea-level rise that global warming causes.