Paleogeophysics & Geodynamics, Stockholm, Sweden.

Nils-Axel (“Niklas”) Mörner took his Ph.D.-thesis in 1969 in Quaternary Geology with special emphasis on Marine Geology at Stockholm University, Sweden. In his thesis he was able to separate the isostatic and eustatic components behind the relative sea level changes on the Swedish West Coast and in the Kattegatt Sea as recorded by a spectrum of 40 synchronous shorelines followed over about 300 km in the direction of tilting and dated by numerous C14-dates. His eustatic curve recorded a low-amplitude oscillating sea level rise after the Last Ice Age – contrary to the high-amplitude curve of Fairbridge (1961) and the smooth curve of Shepard (1963). His curve offered the possibility of assessing global sea level records with respect to coastal stability and eustasy (his thesis in 1969 and a paper in Paleo-3 in 1971). He soon realized (Geol. en Mijnbow, 1971; Journal of Geology, 1976) that global eustasy had to be different over the globe due to geoidal eustasy. Therefore, in 1986, he redefined the concept of eustasy (JCR, SI-1). In 1984, he introduced the concept of Super- ENSO events and horizontal redistribution of oceanic water masses. He was president of the INQUA Commission of Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution (1999-2003), and leader of the Maldives Sea level Project (2000-2007). In 2008, he was awarded “The Golden Condrite of Merits” from Algarve University “for his irreverence and contribution to our understanding of sea level change”.