Estuaries are at the interface of marine and terrestrial systems and as such, are subject to environmental change arising from multiple driving mechanisms, with the interplay between the dominant controls varying spatially and temporally. Relative sea-level (RSL) change and sediment supply can play a significant role in driving environmental change. This study examines the relative influence of these drivers during the Holocene. Biostratigraphic records and RSL data are presented from two locations in the inner portion and upper reaches of the macrotidal Humber Estuary, eastern England. The results provide a new terrestrial limiting point and six sea-level index points, two of which at c. 1500 cal years BP provide the youngest sea-level index points for the inner estuary. An early-mid Holocene tidal lagoon system, that lacks modern equivalent, is recorded at one site. The results indicate a shift in the dominance of RSL rise driving the early Holocene creation of wetlands, to sediment supply dominating changes in the mid-late Holocene against the backdrop of a reduced rate of RSL rise, with a submergence of wetlands evident after c. 4000 cal years BP. The persistence of fen carr evident between c. 6800 and 5500 cal years BP suggests stability and resilience of the peatland system to continuing RSL rise. As rates of contemporary RSL rise increase, combined with climate and human impacts on the landscape, the drivers of change in these type of estuary systems will shift, with the records providing analogues of potential system responses that can help inform coastal management strategies.
New relative sea-level (RSL) data constrain the timing and magnitude of RSL changes in the southern Isle of Skye following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We identify a marine limit at ~23 m OD, indicating RSL ~20 m above present c. 15.1 ka. Isolation basin data, supported by terrestrial and marine limiting dates, record an RSL fall to 11.59 m above present by c. 14.2 ka. This RSL fall occurs across the time of global Meltwater Pulse 1A, supporting recent research on the sources of ice melting. Our new data also help to resolve some of the chronological issues within the existing Isle of Skye RSL record and provide details of the sub-Arctic marine environment associated with the transition into Devensian Lateglacial climate at c. 14.5 k cal a BP, and the timing of changes in response to the Loch Lomond Stadial climate. Glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) model predictions of RSL deviate from the RSL constraints and reflect uncertainties in local and global ice models used within the GIA models. An empirical RSL curve provides a target for future research.
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