Answer to Question 1
First, I would concentrate on relevant evidence found along shorelines away from plate boundaries where uplift or subsidence may cause the appearance of sea level change that is not really a global phenomenon. I would also avoid locations near river deltas where sediment accumulation may cause a local building out of the shoreline that gives the impression of a sea-level fall.
Concentrating on locations that meet these requirements, I would use tide-gage data to identify long-term trends of sea-level change (unaffected by year-to-year weather conditions) and find historic photographs of shorelines that I could compare to what the shoreline looks like today.
Answer to Question 2
A spring tide occurs when the gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon are parallel and reinforce one another to produce the highest tidal range. The neap tide occurs when the gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon are perpendicular and partially cancel one another to produce the lowest tidal range. A spring tide coincides with each full Moon and each new Moon, so spring tides occur about twice each month throughout the year and not just during the spring season.
Hierarchy of evidence
The overlapping relationship among research, evidence-based practice
Select the Code with the Highest Level of Specificity
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