Letter abstract
Nature Geoscience 1, 38 - 42 (2008)
Published online: 16 December 2007 | doi:10.1038/ngeo.2007.28
Subject Categories: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography | Oceanography
High rates of sea-level rise during the last interglacial period
E. J. Rohling1, K. Grant1, Ch. Hemleben2, M. Siddall3, B. A. A. Hoogakker4, M. Bolshaw1 & M. Kucera2
The last interglacial period, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, was characterized by global mean surface temperatures that were at least 2 °C warmer than present1. Mean sea level stood 4–6 m higher than modern sea level2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, with an important contribution from a reduction of the Greenland ice sheet1, 14. Although some fossil reef data indicate sea-level fluctuations of up to 10 m around the mean3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, so far it has not been possible to constrain the duration and rates of change of these shorter-term variations. Here, we use a combination of a continuous high-resolution sea-level record, based on the stable oxygen isotopes of planktonic foraminifera from the central Red Sea15, 16, 17, 18, and age constraints from coral data to estimate rates of sea-level change during MIS-5e. We find average rates of sea-level rise of 1.6 m per century. As global mean temperatures during MIS-5e were comparable to projections for future climate change under the influence of anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions19, 20, these observed rates of sea-level change inform the ongoing debate about high versus low rates of sea-level rise in the coming century21, 22.
- National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO45 5UH, UK
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Route 9W - PO Box 1000, Palisades, New York 10964-8000, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
Correspondence to: E. J. Rohling1 e-mail: E.Rohling@noc.soton.ac.uk
Correspondence to: Ch. Hemleben2 e-mail: christoph.hemleben@uni-tuebingen.de
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