scholarly journals Quaternary sea level change in Scotland

2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 219-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. SMITH ◽  
Natasha L.M. BARLOW ◽  
Sarah L. BRADLEY ◽  
Callum R. FIRTH ◽  
Adrian M. HALL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Land Uplift ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Storm Deposits ◽  
Storegga Slide ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTThis paper summarises developments in understanding sea level change during the Quaternary in Scotland since the publication of the Quaternary of Scotland Geological Conservation Review volume in 1993. We present a review of progress in methodology, particularly in the study of sediments in isolation basins and estuaries as well as in techniques in the field and laboratory, which have together disclosed greater detail in the record of relative sea level (RSL) change than was available in 1993. However, progress in determining the record of RSL change varies in different areas. Studies of sediments and stratigraphy offshore on the continental shelf have increased greatly, but the record of RSL change there remains patchy. Studies onshore have resulted in improvements in the knowledge of rock shorelines, including the processes by which they are formed, but much remains to be understood. Studies of Late Devensian and Holocene RSLs around present coasts have improved knowledge of both the extent and age range of the evidence. The record of RSL change on the W and NW coasts has disclosed a much longer dated RSL record than was available before 1993, possibly with evidence of Meltwater Pulse 1A, while studies in estuaries on the E and SW coasts have disclosed widespread and consistent fluctuations in Holocene RSLs. Evidence for the meltwater pulse associated with the Early Holocene discharge of Lakes Agassiz–Ojibway in N America has been found on both E and W coasts. The effects of the impact of storminess, in particular in cliff-top storm deposits, have been widely identified. Further information on the Holocene Storegga Slide tsunami has enabled a better understanding of the event, but evidence for other tsunami events on Scottish coasts remains uncertain. Methodological developments have led to new reconstructions of RSL change for the last 2000 years, utilising state-of-the-art GIA models and alongside coastal biostratigraphy to determine trends to compare with modern tide gauge and documentary evidence. Developments in GIA modelling have provided valuable information on patterns of land uplift during and following deglaciation. The studies undertaken raise a number of research questions which will require addressing in future work.

scholarly journals Reconciling global mean and regional sea level change in projections and observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinping Wang ◽  
John A. Church ◽  
Xuebin Zhang ◽  
Xianyao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Regional Sea Level ◽  
Global Mean ◽  
Regional Sea Level Change

AbstractThe ability of climate models to simulate 20th century global mean sea level (GMSL) and regional sea-level change has been demonstrated. However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) sea-level projections have not been rigorously evaluated with observed GMSL and coastal sea level from a global network of tide gauges as the short overlapping period (2007–2018) and natural variability make the detection of trends and accelerations challenging. Here, we critically evaluate these projections with satellite and tide-gauge observations. The observed trends from GMSL and the regional weighted mean at tide-gauge stations confirm the projections under three Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios within 90% confidence level during 2007–2018. The central values of the observed GMSL (1993–2018) and regional weighted mean (1970–2018) accelerations are larger than projections for RCP2.6 and lie between (or even above) those for RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 over 2007–2032, but are not yet statistically different from any scenario. While the confirmation of the projection trends gives us confidence in current understanding of near future sea-level change, it leaves open questions concerning late 21st century non-linear accelerations from ice-sheet contributions.

The impact of glaciation, river-discharge and sea-level change on Late Quaternary environments in the southwestern Kara Sea

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 550-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonid Polyak ◽  
Mikhail Levitan ◽  
Valery Gataullin ◽  
Tatiana Khusid ◽  
Valery Mikhailov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Level Change ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Sea Level

The white sea level change and glacioisostatic land uplift during the Holocene near the Settlement of Kuzema, North Karelia Region

2012 ◽  
Vol 442 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. Kolka ◽  
O. P. Korsakova ◽  
T. S. Shelekhova ◽  
N. B. Lavrova ◽  
Kh. A. Arslanov
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
White Sea ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
The White Sea ◽  
Land Uplift ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Level Change

Molecular fossils inferring Quaternary sea-level changes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Conti ◽  
Martin Bates ◽  
Natasha Barlow ◽  
Richard Preece ◽  
Kirsty Penkman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Primary Producers ◽  
Chlorophyll Pigments ◽  
Molecular Fossils ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Targeted Analysis ◽  
The Impact

<p>Targeted analysis of organic matter in soils and sediments is useful for evaluating past environmental conditions, as specific compounds may be directly linked to organisms and hence to the conditions in which they inhabited the environment.  Variations in molecular fossil distributions have become a powerful tool for understanding changes in palaeoclimate conditions.  This work uses molecular fossils to give an insight into the impact of transgressive events on primary producers inhabiting the studied basin, and hence a more detailed record of sea-level change.</p><p>The cores studied consisted of unconsolidated immature sediments from the mid-late Pleistocene (< 500,000 years) and the Holocene.  Molecular fossils, such as chlorophyll pigments and lipids, exhibit fluctuations as a response to changes in palaeoenvironmental conditions, providing a useful marker for sea-level changes.  Fluctuations in the pigment and <em>n</em>-alkane distribution reflect changes in primary producer activity, while the GDGT-based index of branched and isoprenoid tetraether lipids (BIT) differentiates between terrigenous and marine organic matter inputs.  Lipids were analysed by GC-FID and HPLC-MS while analysis of chlorophyll pigments was carried out using a new UHPLC-DAD method.</p><p>The results from biomarker analyses show excellent time-resolved agreement with previous lithological and ecological studies, but enabled a more sensitive response of different primary producers to changing conditions to be observed.  The molecular fossils were able to detect the onset and cessation of the studied transgressions earlier than it was possible with microfossil evidence.  Linking the pigment and lipid record with more secure dating will enable a more accurate record of Quaternary relative sea-level change.</p>

scholarly journals Comparing tide gauge observations to regional patterns of sea-level change (1961–2003)

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. A. Slangen ◽  
R. S. W. van de Wal ◽  
Y. Wada ◽  
L. L. A. Vermeersen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Tide Gauge ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Sea Level Change ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Dynamic Component ◽  
Uncertainty Range ◽  
Level Change

Abstract. Although the global mean sea-level budget for the 20th century can now be closed, the understanding of sea-level change on a regional scale is still limited. In this study we compare observations from tide gauges to regional patterns from various contributions to sea-level change to see how much of the regional measurements can be explained. Processes that are included are land ice mass changes and terrestrial storage changes with associated gravitational, rotational and deformational effects, steric/dynamic changes, atmospheric pressure loading and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). The study focuses on the mean linear trend between 1961 and 2003. It is found that on a regional level the explained variance of the observed trend is 0.87 with a regression coefficient of 1.08. The observations and models overlap within the 1σ uncertainty range in all regions. The leading processes in explaining the variability in the observations appear to be the steric/dynamic component and the GIA. Local observations prove to be more difficult to explain because they show larger spatial variations, and therefore require more information on small-scale processes.

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