Sea level changes, continental shelf morphology, and global paleoecological constraints in the shallow benthic realm: a theoretical approach

At 20,000 years ago, during the last glacial maximum, the sea level was 125 m lower than today. Shorelines and shallow benthic realms migrated towards the open ocean. Considering a mean value of 65 m for the photic zone, this theoretical approach show a drastic size reduction of more that 80% for the shallow benthic zone linked with the solar energy. The shrinkage of this ecologically important realm affected essentially the continental margins, while in the open oceans, new ecological zones appeared. This phenomenon is probably one of the keys to explain biosphere renewals linked with a sea level rise.