How much lower was sea level during the last Pleistocene glacial period?

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continental shelf The broad, gentle pitch of the continental shelf gives way to the relatively steep continental slope. The more gradual transition to the abyssal plain is a sediment-filled region called the continental rise. The continental shelf, slope, and rise are collectively called the continental margin.

During the last glacial maximum (LGM), which occurred between approximately 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, sea levels were significantly lower than they are today. Estimates indicate that sea levels were approximately 125 metres (410 feet) lower during this peak period of ice sheet coverage.1

This dramatic reduction in sea level exposed vast areas of the world’s continental shelves, which are now submerged. The exposure of these shelves created land bridges that connected various landmasses, such as the Bering Land Bridge between Siberia and Alaska, facilitating the migration of animals and early humans. As the climate warmed and the large ice sheets melted, sea levels rose, eventually reaching near-modern levels by the mid-Holocene, about 5,000 years ago.21