Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina)
Reconstructions of global mean sea level from earlier warm periods in Earth’s history can help constrain future projections of sea level rise. Here we report on the sedimentology and age of a geological unit in central Patagonia, Argentina, that we dated to the Early Pliocene (4.69–5.23 Ma, 2σ) with...
Published in: | Communications Earth & Environment |
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ftsubggeo:oai:e-docs.geo-leo.de:11858/10567 2023-07-02T03:30:43+02:00 Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) Rovere, Alessio Pappalardo, Marta Richiano, Sebastian Aguirre, Marina Sandstrom, Michael R. Hearty, Paul J. Austermann, Jacqueline Castellanos, Ignacio Raymo, Maureen E. MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Department of Earth Sciences, Universitá degli studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología, CONICET, Chubut, Argentina Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, United States Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States 2020-12-23 https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10567 eng eng Nature Publishing Group UK doi:10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10567 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ddc:551 Geomorphology Palaeoclimate doc-type:article 2020 ftsubggeo https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 2023-06-11T22:12:19Z Reconstructions of global mean sea level from earlier warm periods in Earth’s history can help constrain future projections of sea level rise. Here we report on the sedimentology and age of a geological unit in central Patagonia, Argentina, that we dated to the Early Pliocene (4.69–5.23 Ma, 2σ) with strontium isotope stratigraphy. The unit was interpreted as representative of an intertidal environment, and its elevation was measured with differential GPS at ca. 36 m above present-day sea level. Considering modern tidal ranges, it was possible to constrain paleo relative sea level within ±2.7 m (1σ). We use glacial isostatic adjustment models and estimates of vertical land movement to calculate that, when the Camarones intertidal sequence was deposited, global mean sea level was 28.4 ± 11.7 m (1σ) above present. This estimate matches those derived from analogous Early Pliocene sea level proxies in the Mediterranean Sea and South Africa. Evidence from these three locations indicates that Early Pliocene sea level may have exceeded 20m above its present level. Such high global mean sea level values imply an ice-free Greenland, a significant melting of West Antarctica, and a contribution of marine-based sectors of East Antarctica to global mean sea level. Global mean sea level was 28.4 ± 11.7 m higher than at present during the Early Pliocene, at atmospheric CO2 levels of no more than 450 ppm and temperatures of 2–3 ∘C above preindustrial levels, suggests a reconstruction from Patagonia. National Science Foundation (NSF) https://doi.org/10.13039/100000001 Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland West Antarctica GEO-LEOe-docs (FID GEO) Argentina East Antarctica Greenland Patagonia West Antarctica Communications Earth & Environment 1 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
GEO-LEOe-docs (FID GEO) |
op_collection_id |
ftsubggeo |
language |
English |
topic |
ddc:551 Geomorphology Palaeoclimate |
spellingShingle |
ddc:551 Geomorphology Palaeoclimate Rovere, Alessio Pappalardo, Marta Richiano, Sebastian Aguirre, Marina Sandstrom, Michael R. Hearty, Paul J. Austermann, Jacqueline Castellanos, Ignacio Raymo, Maureen E. MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Department of Earth Sciences, Universitá degli studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología, CONICET, Chubut, Argentina Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, United States Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
topic_facet |
ddc:551 Geomorphology Palaeoclimate |
description |
Reconstructions of global mean sea level from earlier warm periods in Earth’s history can help constrain future projections of sea level rise. Here we report on the sedimentology and age of a geological unit in central Patagonia, Argentina, that we dated to the Early Pliocene (4.69–5.23 Ma, 2σ) with strontium isotope stratigraphy. The unit was interpreted as representative of an intertidal environment, and its elevation was measured with differential GPS at ca. 36 m above present-day sea level. Considering modern tidal ranges, it was possible to constrain paleo relative sea level within ±2.7 m (1σ). We use glacial isostatic adjustment models and estimates of vertical land movement to calculate that, when the Camarones intertidal sequence was deposited, global mean sea level was 28.4 ± 11.7 m (1σ) above present. This estimate matches those derived from analogous Early Pliocene sea level proxies in the Mediterranean Sea and South Africa. Evidence from these three locations indicates that Early Pliocene sea level may have exceeded 20m above its present level. Such high global mean sea level values imply an ice-free Greenland, a significant melting of West Antarctica, and a contribution of marine-based sectors of East Antarctica to global mean sea level. Global mean sea level was 28.4 ± 11.7 m higher than at present during the Early Pliocene, at atmospheric CO2 levels of no more than 450 ppm and temperatures of 2–3 ∘C above preindustrial levels, suggests a reconstruction from Patagonia. National Science Foundation (NSF) https://doi.org/10.13039/100000001 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rovere, Alessio Pappalardo, Marta Richiano, Sebastian Aguirre, Marina Sandstrom, Michael R. Hearty, Paul J. Austermann, Jacqueline Castellanos, Ignacio Raymo, Maureen E. MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Department of Earth Sciences, Universitá degli studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología, CONICET, Chubut, Argentina Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, United States Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States |
author_facet |
Rovere, Alessio Pappalardo, Marta Richiano, Sebastian Aguirre, Marina Sandstrom, Michael R. Hearty, Paul J. Austermann, Jacqueline Castellanos, Ignacio Raymo, Maureen E. MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Department of Earth Sciences, Universitá degli studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy Instituto Patagónico de Geología y Paleontología, CONICET, Chubut, Argentina Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, United States Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, United States |
author_sort |
Rovere, Alessio |
title |
Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
title_short |
Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
title_full |
Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
title_fullStr |
Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an Early Pliocene intertidal unit in Patagonia (Argentina) |
title_sort |
higher than present global mean sea level recorded by an early pliocene intertidal unit in patagonia (argentina) |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group UK |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10567 |
geographic |
Argentina East Antarctica Greenland Patagonia West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Argentina East Antarctica Greenland Patagonia West Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica Greenland West Antarctica |
op_relation |
doi:10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10567 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00067-6 |
container_title |
Communications Earth & Environment |
container_volume |
1 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1770275003594440704 |