Observational facts from the Maldives, Goa and Bangladesh in the Indian Ocean and from Fiji and New Caledonia in the Pacific record a high sea level in the 17th century, a low sea level in the 18th century, a high sea level in the early 19th century and a stable sea level in the last 50 - 70 years. This cannot be understood in terms of glacial eustasy (or in terms of steric effects or tectonics), only in terms of rotational eustasy. The present paper gives a summary of the observational facts behind the formulation of the novel concept of rotational eustasy. It reveals a common trend of sea level changes, which is opposed to the sea level changes in the northern hemisphere, and the global climatic changes in general. Rotational eustasy offers a logical explanation.
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