Rapid sea-level rise during the first phase of the Littorina transgression in the western Baltic Sea

Abstract

Glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) corrected limiting non-marine and marine sea-level data from the western Baltic Sea indicate a rapid relative sea-level (RSL) rise of 18 m for the first phase of the Littorina transgression using a linear age-elevation model. This accelerated RSL rise occurred in the time period 8.57 to 8.0 ka before present (BP) with an RSL rise rate of 31.5 mm/year. RSL rose from 28 m to 10 m below the mean relative sea level (bmrsl) during the time period of less than 600 years. The first phase of Littorina transgression documents the last big meltwater pulse (MWP), which has been reported also from various other regions in the world as a consequence of the final decay of the Laurentide ice sheet and additional meltwater sources from Antarctica.

Keywords

• Baltic Sea
• Relative sea-level rise
• Littorina transgression
• Meltwater pulse