one publication added to basket [242048] | Lateglacial and Holocene water-level variations along the NE German Baltic Sea coast: review and new results
In: Quaternary International. Elsevier: Oxford. ISSN 1040-6182; e-ISSN 1873-4553, more
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Keyword |
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Author keywords |
Baltic Sea; West Pomerania; Sea-level history; Isostasy |
Abstract |
A comprehensive overview is given of the current knowledge regarding the Lateglacial and Holocene water-table evolution along the West Pomeranian coast, which is related to the four evolutionary stages of the Baltic Sea: the Baltic Ice Lake, the Yoldia Sea, the Ancylus Lake and the Littorina Sea. The first three stages were characterized by intensive water-table fluctuations in the Baltic basin. The balance between glacio-isostatic uplift and water-table rise due to meltwater and river discharge produced either a temporary connection with the ocean or isolation from it. New findings are presented on the water levels reached during the different stages. Only at about 8 ky BP did the Baltic obtain a permanent connection with the ocean. The first marine sediments in the recent coastal zone, ca. 7.8 ky old, are found at -15 m and are related to the initial Littorina Sea. The maximum of the main Littorina-transgression was reached at -1.5 m to -2.0 m ca. 5.8 ky BP. The course of the sea level reveals that later only some minor oscillations took place, correlated with climatic fluctuations. These indicate a control by regional changes in the North Atlantic circulation rather than by global sea-level alterations. Isostatic movements were determined by comparing the reconstructed relative sea-level curve with curves assumed as nearly eustatic. The resulting isostatic curve shows uplift at 11.5 ky BP of about 55 m, which decreased until 7.8 ky BP to 6 m and ceased at ca. 3 ky BP. Currently, the coastal zone experiences a slight tilting with uplift in the northeastern part and inundation in the southwestern area. |
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