Mid- to late-Holocene sea-level evolution of the northeastern Aegean sea. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Seeliger, Martin; Pint, Anna; Frenzel, Peter; Marriner, Nick; Spada, Giorgio; Vacchi, Matteo; Başaran, Sait; Dan, Anca; Seeger, Friederike; Seeger, Katharina; Schmidts, Thomas; Brückner, Helmut
• Is Part Of: Holocene. Volume 31:Number 10(2021)
• Page Start: 1621
• Page End: 1634
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: archeological sea-level limiting points -- foraminifers -- Meriç River -- RSL curve -- sea-level indicator; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Holocene -- Periodicals; Paleoclimatology -- Periodicals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1177/09596836211025967
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6836

Abstract

We combined biostratigraphical analyses, archaeological surveys, and Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) models to provide new insights into the relative sea-level evolution in the northeastern Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean). In this area, characterized by a very complex tectonic pattern, we produced a new typology of sea-level index point, based on the foraminiferal associations found in transgressive marine facies. Our results agree with the sea-level history previously produced in this region, therefore confirming the validity of this new type of index point. The expanded dataset presented in this paper further demonstrates a continuous Holocene RSL rise in this portion of the Aegean Sea. Comparing the new RSL record with the available geophysical predictions of sea-level evolution indicates that the crustal subsidence of the Samothraki Plateau and the North Aegean Trough played a major role in controlling millennial-scale sea-level evolution in the area. This major subsidence rate needs to be taken into account in the preparation of local future scenarios of sea-level rise in the coming decades.