Scientists are studying how sea levels changed during and after the Last Glacial Maximum (about 26,000 to 19,000 years ago) to better understand Earth’s climate and improve models that predict how land responds to melting ice. They analyzed over 500 data points from tropical regions, including new information from Africa and Southeast Asia.

In Africa, sea levels dropped to about 103 meters below today’s level, then rose quickly after the ice age. In Southeast Asia, sea levels rose sharply during a major melting event. These findings help refine estimates of past ice volumes and improve future sea-level predictions.