Corrected western Atlantic sea-level ca for a last 11,000 years based on calibrated ~(14)C dates from Acropora palmata framework and intertidal mangrove peat

摘要

A corrected western Atlantic Holocene sea-level curve was constructed from 145 calibrated ~(14)C and TIMS U-Th dates from shallow Acropora palmata framework and intertidal Rhizopora mangle peat from the Florida Keys, Belize, and the wider Caribbean. Data include both previously published and newly reported coral and peat dates. With the elevations of corals restricted to positions below sea level and those of peats to intertidal and higher levels, a curve bracketed by corals below and peat above effectively delineates the positions of a rising Holocene sea. From 3-11 ka, the corrected curve shifts progressively to older calibrated ages, reaching an ～1-kyr increase at -21 m MSL (mean sea level). Elevations and calibrated ages of samples from each locality in the wider Caribbean region constitute an important database for future refinement with glacio-hydro-isostatic elevation corrections from 3-D Earth models. In future studies of the history of western Atlantic coral reefs, scientists will be able to relate calibrated radiocarbon dates to this sea-level curve to determine paleo water depths and rates of sea-level rise.