Abstract
The article deals with the sea level rise, its magnitude, causes and impacts on the coastal zone. The global mean sea level rises 3,2 mm per annum; on regional scale, the sea level rise is much more variable.
Atoll states (such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and Marshall Islands) are particulary vulnerable to the sea level rise - it causes shoreline erosion, inudation of low-lying areas and saline intrusion into the groundwater. In the future, the reef islands may become uninhabitable.