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Spatial variability of late Holocene and 20th century sea-level rise along the Atlantic coast of the United States

2009; Geological Society of America; Volume: 37; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1130/g30360a.1

1943-2682

Simon E. Engelhart, Benjamin P. Horton, Bruce C. Douglas, W. R. Peltier, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist,

Geophysics and Gravity Measurements

Research Article| December 01, 2009 Spatial variability of late Holocene and 20th century sea-level rise along the Atlantic coast of the United States Simon E. Engelhart; Simon E. Engelhart * 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA *E-mails: simoneng@sas.upenn.edu; bphorton@sas.upenn.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Benjamin P. Horton; Benjamin P. Horton * 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA *E-mails: simoneng@sas.upenn.edu; bphorton@sas.upenn.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bruce C. Douglas; Bruce C. Douglas 2International Hurricane Research Center, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, University Park, MARC 360, Miami, Florida 33199, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. Richard Peltier; W. Richard Peltier 3Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Torbjörn E. Törnqvist Torbjörn E. Törnqvist 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Tulane University, 6823 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118-5698, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2009) 37 (12): 1115–1118. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30360A.1 Article history received: 05 May 2009 rev-recd: 15 Jul 2009 accepted: 17 Jul 2009 first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Simon E. Engelhart, Benjamin P. Horton, Bruce C. Douglas, W. Richard Peltier, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist; Spatial variability of late Holocene and 20th century sea-level rise along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Geology 2009;; 37 (12): 1115–1118. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30360A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Accurate estimates of global sea-level rise in the pre-satellite era provide a context for 21st century sea-level predictions, but the use of tide-gauge records is complicated by the contributions from changes in land level due to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). We have constructed a rigorous quality-controlled database of late Holocene sea-level indices from the U.S. Atlantic coast, exhibiting subsidence rates of <0.8 mm a−1 in Maine, increasing to rates of 1.7 mm a−1 in Delaware, and a return to rates <0.9 mm a−1 in the Carolinas. This pattern can be attributed to ongoing GIA due to the demise of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Our data allow us to define the geometry of the associated collapsing proglacial forebulge with a level of resolution unmatched by any other currently available method. The corresponding rates of relative sea-level rise serve as background rates on which future sea-level rise must be superimposed. We further employ the geological data to remove the GIA component from tide-gauge records to estimate a mean 20th century sea-level rise rate for the U.S. Atlantic coast of 1.8 ± 0.2 mm a−1, similar to the global average. However, we find a distinct spatial trend in the rate of 20th century sea-level rise, increasing from Maine to South Carolina. This is the first evidence of this phenomenon from observational data alone. We suggest this may be related to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and/or ocean steric effects. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.