Climate relate sea-level variations over the past two millennia

Material Information

Title:
Climate relate sea-level variations over the past two millennia
Series Title:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Creator:
Kemp, Andrew C.
Horton, Benjamin P.
Donnelly, Jeffrey P.
Mann, Michael E.
Vermeer, Martin
Rahmstorf, Stefan
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate change ( lcsh )
Sea level rise ( lcsh )
Salt marshes ( lcsh )
Sediments (Geology) ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
We present new sea-level reconstructions for the past 2100 y based on salt-marsh sedimentary sequences from the US Atlantic coast. The data from North Carolina reveal four phases of persistent sea-level change after correction for glacial isostatic adjustment. Sea level was stable from at least BC 100 until AD 950. Sea level then increased for 400 y at a rate of 0.6 mm/y, followed by a further period of stable, or slightly falling, sea level that persisted until the late 19th century. Since then, sea level has risen at an average rate of 2.1 mm/y, representing the steepest century-scale increase of the past two millennia. This rate was initiated between AD 1865 and 1892. Using an extended semiempirical modeling approach, we show that these sea-level changes are consistent with global temperature for at least the past millennium.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise