Shifting Limits?: Sea Level Rise and Options to Secure Maritime Jurisdictional Claims

Among the multiple threats posed by sea level rise is the potential impact of this phenomenon on the extent of the maritime jurisdictional claims of coastal States. The paper provides a brief discussion of sea level rise before examining ways in which the maritime claims of coastal States may be impacted by rising sea levels. In particular, the traditional dependence on normal low water baselines as the starting point for measuring maritime claims is problematic given the likely retreat of normal baselines inland as sea levels rise. Options to address these challenges are discussed and issues arising from the potential total inundation of a given State's territory are also outlined.