Modelling Holocene Relative Sea-Level Observations from the Caribbean and South America

Milne, G.A; Long, A.J; Bassett, S.E

Abstract

Holocene data from the Caribbean and the Atlantic coast of South America have been critically assessed and a subset of the best quality data are presented. These data cover a large north–south geographic extent and display a distinct spatial variation. We make the first comparisons of this data set to predictions based on a realistic model of glaciation-induced sea-level change with the main aims of understanding the cause of the observed spatial trend and estimating a eustatic signal for the Holocene. The spatial variation is dominated by the influence of the ice and ocean mass redistribution on sea-level change, with the ice-induced effect dominating the observed north–south trend. A best-fitting model is applied to estimate a Holocene eustatic signal from the observations. We find that the model-corrected data are consistent with a relatively rapid rise of 7–8 mm/yr in the early Holocene with a marked reduction in this rate around 7 cal. kyr BP. From this time until present, the model-corrected data suggest that the volume of mass transfer between ice sheets and oceans was no more than (eustatic sea-level equivalent).

Citation

Milne, G., Long, A., & Bassett, S. (2005). Modelling Holocene Relative Sea-Level Observations from the Caribbean and South America. Quaternary Science Reviews, 24(10-11), 1183-1202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.10.005

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 2005
• Deposit Date: Jul 11, 2007
• Journal: Quaternary Science Reviews
• Print ISSN: 0277-3791
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-457X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 10-11
• Pages: 1183-1202
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.10.005
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1575478