CL5.2.3

Directly observable relative sea-level (RSL) indicators (e.g. shore platforms, coral reef terraces, beach deposits, etc.) are used to constrain paleo ice sheet simulations, improve GIA models, and refine future projections of ice-sheet and sea-level responses. Paleo sea-level indicators not only constrain the record of sea-level fluctuations as related to ice sheet growth and decay, but also inform paleoclimatic change, the physical response to glacial- and hydro- isostatic adjustments and other regional earth surface processes, as well as provide process analogs to future change. For example, early and mid- Pliocene records offer analogs for atmospheric CO₂ levels exceeding 400 ppmv. Recent advances in sea-level studies have called for increased spatiotemporal density of RSL indicators, including submerged and near-field localities, analyzed using standardized definitions and methods. Improvements in the development, interpretation, and integration of these indicators are critical for reducing uncertainties in paleo sea-level estimates and ice sheet extents and for producing projections that accurately attribute future sea-level changes to ice sheets, ocean thermal expansion, and other global and regional processes.
This session welcomes contributions to the global record of Cenozoic sea-level indicators and associated proxies from a variety of coastal environments (not limited to peak interglacial periods), and constraints to paleo ice sheets, as well as new approaches to constraining future projections using sea-level indicators. Open to all methods of analysis, this session falls within the purview of PALSEA (PALeo constraints on SEA level rise), a PAGES-INQUA Working Groups, and the ERC-funded project WARMCOASTS.