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Late Pleistocene sea-level constraints across Antarctica

Simms, Alexander R.; Ishiwa, Takeshige; Hodgson, Dominic A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-3746; Tamura, Toru; DeWitt, Regina. 2024 Late Pleistocene sea-level constraints across Antarctica. Quaternary Science Reviews, 341, 108879. 22, pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108879

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Abstract/Summary

Global sea levels during the last interglacial (LIG), 129,000–116,000 years ago, may have reached as much as 5–10 m higher than present. However, the elevation of the LIG highstand varies locally due to tectonics, subsidence, steric effects, and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). The variability brought upon by GIA can be used to constrain the past distribution of ice sheets including the source of higher sea levels during the LIG. In spite of its importance for fingerprinting the source of additional meltwater at the LIG, little is known about the elevation of LIG sea levels across Antarctica. In this study we review the geologic constraints on the elevation of the LIG highstand across Antarctica. We find that although several Late Pleistocene sea-level constraints are available across the continent very few of them provide definitive LIG ages. Arguably the most probable LIG sea-level indicators come from East Antarctica but most of them have age constraints approaching the limits of radiocarbon dating (>~45 ka) with many likely dating to Marine Isotope Stage 3, not the LIG. For West Antarctica, Late Pleistocene sea level constraints are confined to a few poorly or completely undated possible examples from the Antarctic Peninsula. Our review suggests that much more work is needed on constraining the elevation of the LIG highstand across Antarctica.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108879
ISSN: 02773791
Additional Keywords: MIS5e, Sangamon, Eemian, MIS3
Date made live: 15 Aug 2024 13:00 +0 (UTC)
URI: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537864

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