Journal article
A highly resolved record of relative sea level in the western Mediterranean Sea during the last interglacial period
Nature geoscience, Vol.11(11), pp.860-864
11/2018
DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0222-5
Abstract
The magnitude and trajectory of sea-level change during marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e of the last interglacial period is uncertain. In general, sea level may have been 6–9 m above present sea level, with one or more oscillations of up to several metres superimposed. Here we present a well-dated relative sea-level record from the island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean Sea for MIS-5e, based on the occurrence of phreatic overgrowths on speleothems forming near sea level. We find that relative sea-level in this region was within a range of 2.15 ± 0.75 m above present levels between 126,600 ± 400 and 116,000 ± 800 years ago, although centennial-scale excursions cannot be excluded due to some gaps in the speleothem record. We corrected our relative sea-level record for glacio-isostatic adjustment using nine different glacial isostatic models. Together, these models suggest that ice-equivalent sea-level in Mallorca peaked at the start of MIS-5e then gradually decreased and stabilized by 122,000 years ago, until the highstand termination 116,000 years ago. Our sea-level record does not support the hypothesis of rapid sea-level fluctuations within MIS-5e. Instead, we suggest that melting of the polar ice sheets occurred early in the interglacial period, followed by gradual ice-sheet growth.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A highly resolved record of relative sea level in the western Mediterranean Sea during the last interglacial period
- Creators
- Victor J PolyakBogdan P OnacJoan J FornósCarling HayYemane AsmeromJeffrey A DoraleJoaquín GinésPaola TuccimeiAngel Ginés
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nature geoscience, Vol.11(11), pp.860-864
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41561-018-0222-5
- ISSN
- 1752-0894
- eISSN
- 1752-0908
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/2018
- Academic Unit
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9983984518802771
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