How did your prediction compared to the actual changes in sea level? what have you learned about sea level variations?

1. My predictions about the changes in sea level have been relatively close to the actual rise of the sea waters, though it has been different than the general predictions of the numerous models of the countries. The predictions that I have made about the rise of the sea level have been based on the rate of melting of the polar ice, but also on the isostatic rebound that occurs because of it, and the influence that the greenhouse gasses have on the global temperature. The estimates that I made were showing a rise of only few centimeters, unlike the several meters predicted by most of the models. The closest model to what I have predicted is the Russian model, which is very different than the others.

2. The sea level variations are not very easy to predict, nor do they have any particular cycle that is repeating on approximately the same time. There are numerous factors that influence the variations of the sea level, such as the global temperature, with higher temperature meaning higher sea levels, and lower temperature meaning lower sea levels. The isostatic rebound of the continental land masses should also be taken in consideration, as the continents lift up when they don't have pressure on top of them from the ice, and sink down when they do have large ice masses on them, thus it can influence where the water can penetrate and where it can't. The position of the landmasses, composition of the atmosphere, as well as the geological activities, all have big influence on the variations of the sea levels, be it going up or down.

hi there,

on december 11, 2001, china officially became the 143rd member of the

world trade organization (wto) in the culmination of a negotiation

process which began in 1986. economists have long been debating the

global effects of china's accession to the wto, and as china becomes

fully integrated into the organization over the next several years,

the accuracy of their predictions will be tested.

one of the biggest residual effects of china's entry to the wto,

according to economists, will be the relocation of manufacturing and

distribution centers to china. due to its cheap labor, cheap

industrial land, and educated workforce, china is an ideal production

centre for businesses based in outside countries. this will likely

result in a twofold impact – more jobs will be available in china,

while countries like india, which have historically offered cheap

labor, will suffer. taiwan and malaysia's technology industries are

already suffering as companies like dell computers move production to

china, and while foreign investment soars in china, other asian

countries suffer. in addition, mexico and the caribbean will lose

thousands of garment manufacturing jobs as the u.s. lifts restraints

on chinese textile imports.

while the impact on southeast asia may be negative, the western world

may benefit. while some suggest china's open borders will result in

increased competition and a decreased employment rate for the western

world, western countries will benefit from access to china's highly

developed electronics and industry sectors. with duties and quotas

slashed, and restrictions lifted, multinationals will benefit by

setting up distribution centers without the need for chinese

middlemen. in addition, it's expected that china will import massive

amounts of food products, machinery and vehicles from the u.s., japan,

hong kong, taiwan, singapore and south korea, thus providing

significant boosts to these countries' economies.

in conclusion, it seems that while western countries may benefit from

china's accession to the wto, there's the potential that asian and

south american countries may feel the pinch of free trade as china

moves to a global economy.