Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models ...

• Main Authors: Kirby, Jason R, Garrett, Ed, Gehrels, W Roland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: SAGE Journals 2023
• Subjects: Geography; History; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25384/sage.c.6623598; https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Holocene_relative_sea-level_changes_in_northwest_Ireland_An_empirical_test_for_glacial_isostatic_adjustment_models/6623598

The late-Quaternary relative sea-level (RSL) history of Ireland is complex, positioned at the margins of the former British-Irish Ice Sheet, and subject to the influence of ice unloading and forebulge collapse. Geophysical models of post-glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) provide estimates of the pattern of RSL change since deglaciation which may be tested and validated with empirical data from proxy records. For the region of northwest Ireland, there is a paucity of high-quality RSL data and, therefore, equivocal evidence to support the GIA models that predict a mid to Late-Holocene RSL highstand of between +0.5 and +2 m above present. This study aims to investigate this model-data discrepancy by reconstructing RSL change from a near continuous salt-marsh sequence at Bracky Bridge, Donegal, spanning the last ca. 2500 years. We develop a transfer function model to reconstruct the vertical position of sea level using a regional diatom training set to quantify the indicative meaning and predict the palaeomarsh ...