The Black Sea is currently a nearly enclosed basin connected to the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus Strait (sill depth at 35 m bsl), the Marmara Sea, and the Dardanelles (65 m bsl). During the last glacial period, this connection was severed due to global sea level drop, falling lower than the sill depths. While the early Holocene reconnection of the Black Sea to the Mediterranean has been extensively studied and debated, our understanding of the Black Sea’s Sea level curve during the last glacial period remains largely rooted in foundational research. Notably, mid-to-late 20th-century studies by geoscientists such as Panin, Tchepalyga, and Scheglov utilized U-series dating of coastal terraces to construct early reconstructions. These studies suggested several high-stands, incompatible with the global sea level curve. 
Recent research focusing on (1) the evolution of the Caspian Sea to date the timing and extend of the transgressions where some are claimed to have reached to the Black Sea basin via Manych strait (50 m asl) , (2) the late-Pleistocene variations on the extend of the Fenno-Scandinavian ice sheet and (3) detailed analyses of deep-sea cores and stalagmite records, have significantly enhanced our understanding of the region's last glacial evolution, providing high-resolution data extending back beyond MIS 6. 
A multiyear bi-lateral program, namely BlackSea-Rise has been carried on along the Black Sea Coastal Zone supported by the TUBITAK and BAS (220N053). The goal of the project is to investigate the late Pleistocene coastal record to reveal the past-sea level, environmental changes and determine the differential uplift along the 1200 km coastline between Sinop (Türkiye) and Varna (Bulgaria). After 3 years of intense field and laboratory work, the BlackSea-Rise program enabled us to thoroughly inspect the nature of exposed uplifted coastal record (fossil beach and dune) and produced over 100 absolute age determinations (luminescence, radiocarbon and U series), grain size characterization of sediments, identification of mollusc fauna and stable-radiogenic isotopes at 16 distinct focus sites. This space-time dataset is used to reconstruct the relative sea-level curve of the Black Sea and the explore the dynamics of the five past transgressions for the last 120 thousand years.

How to cite: Şahiner, E., Erturaç, M. K., Kandemir, R., Kostov, K., Hasözbek, A., Kapan Ürün, S., Okur, H., Salman, İ., Jiménez Barredo, F., Nakov, R., and Kazancı, N.: Reconstructing the relative sea level of the Black Sea during the last glacial period , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-7181, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-7181, 2025.

Sea-level histories spanning the Common Era are crucial for linking sea-level change to climate change, yet they have not been widely studied in Southeast Asia. This link is proxy dependant, and most proxies only provide decadal to centennial scale resolution of both sea level and climate. Here, we examine topographically corrected Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles along with Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages for geochronology.  The efficiency of using this method to examine beach ridge stratigraphy as a proxy for reconstructing regional sea-level histories in the tropics has recently been demonstrated by Kumar et al., (2024).  This approach can be a highly efficient and effective means for reconstructing regional sea-level trends in beach ridges settings. Here, we present common er sea level histories from beach ridges in Indonesia and Thailand that were reconstructed by identifying downlap points that mark the boundary between the foreshore and shoreface and use this as a past low-tide marker. The datasets allow us to compare and contrast the Common Era sea level history of the two coasts and link the evolution to late Holocene sea level and climate variability.

Kumar, R., Switzer, A.D., Gouramanis, C., Bristow, C.S., Shaw, T.A., Jankaew, K., Li, T. and Brill, D., 2024. Late-Holocene sea-level markers preserved in a beach ridge system on Phra Thong Island, Thailand. Geomorphology, 465, p.109405.

How to cite: Switzer, A., Kumar, R., Yan, Y. T., Huang, W., Majewski, J., and Nugraha, A. M. S.: Tropical beach ridge stratigraphy as a proxy for reconstructing late-Holocene regional sea-level histories in southeast Asia., EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-21376, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-21376, 2025.

Coastal landforms are routinely used as “Sea Level Index Points” (SLIP). Among those, owing to their outstanding morphologies, stacks of Quaternary coral reefs are most noticeable. Yet, on top of sea level fluctuations, their morphogenesis is indiscriminately affected by vertical land motion and biological factors. Deciphering their respective influence requires understanding the morphogenesis of individual landforms within their sequences. Here we numerically model the morphogenesis of Quaternary coastal landforms to explore the sensitivity of the morphology of individual terraces to earlier sea-level fluctuations, but also tectonics and biological factors. We focus on Holocene terraces, show that their morphologies depend at first order on vertical land motion, and identify a series of regimes that depend on the morphogenesis of earlier reef units. Biological properties of reef growth mostly modulate the general pattern, albeit occasionally triggering alternative morphogenetic behaviors. Regarding the potential use of landforms as “SLIP”, predictions with different sea level curves reveal that Holocene landforms are sensitive to sea level fluctuations to a lesser extent than to vertical land motion. Last, we extrude our analysis to earlier interglacials, revealing how the morphologies of earlier coral reefs may differ from their modern/Holocene analogues.

How to cite: Pastier, A.-M., Husson, L., Malatesta, L., Huppert, K., De Gelder, G., and Yannick, B.: Holocene coastal landforms and Quaternary sea level flucutations, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-15459, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-15459, 2025.

The reconstruction of Late Quaternary sea-level changes in tectonically stable regions presents significant challenges, particularly in areas where younger sea-level highstands have modified or overprinted older palaeoshorelines. In this context, the synchronous correlation method has emerged as a critical tool for accurately constraining uplift rates and resolving the complexities of relative sea-level indicators (RSLi). This method integrates field observations, high-resolution topographic profiles, and global sea-level curves, iteratively aligning predicted and observed elevations to provide robust chronological frameworks for undated or ambiguous features. This study applies the synchronous correlation method alongside advanced dating techniques (U-series, AAR) to investigate reoccupation phenomena in the Apulian foreland and Cilento regions of Southern Italy. These areas, characterized by slow uplift rates, provide an ideal setting to explore the overprinting of palaeoshorelines. In Cilento, uplift rates of 0.009 mm/yr were calculated, revealing reoccupation between MIS 9c and MIS 5e. Similarly, in Puglia, the reoccupation of MIS 7.3 by MIS 5.5 demonstrates the complexities of palaeoshoreline preservation under low uplift conditions. By addressing the "overprinting problem," the synchronous correlation method enables precise age assignments and enhances understanding of the interplay between tectonics and eustatic processes. These findings refine interpretations of Mediterranean Quaternary coastal evolution and offer insights into palaeoclimate reconstructions, providing a foundation for assessing future coastal risks in tectonically stable regions. The integration of this methodology with multidisciplinary tools underscores its significance for advancing palaeoenvironmental studies.

How to cite: Scicchitano, G., De Santis, V., Caldara, M., Scardino, G., and Meschis, M.: Addressing Overprinting and Reoccupation of Middle-Late Pleistocene Palaeoshorelines in Southern Italy, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-10700, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-10700, 2025.

Coastal landforms constitute a worldwide archive that intricately records past sea-level, morphotectonics and (bio-)morphogenesis. Although forward landscape evolution modelling has shown its potential in deciphering, independently, either sea-level, tectonics, or morphogenesis, this strategy rests upon a wealth of hypotheses regarding the other 2 aspects. We circumvent this limitation by inverting coral reef terraces geometries using a Monte-Carlo Markov Chain sampling in a Bayesian framework with the code RoSETTA (Resolving Sea-level, Ecosystems and Tectonics from Terrace Analysis). Probabilistic solutions of past sea-level, as well as vertical motion, erosion and reef growth rates are simultaneously obtained from reconstructions of stacks of coastal landforms. We first benchmark RoSETTA on synthetic sequences of marine terraces and then on the canonical landforms of Sumba island, Indonesia. Beyond successful reconstructions, our probablistic approach allows to highlight periods of time and sea level that can confidently be resolved from a given stack of marine terraces. Additionally, we can also point out periods for which the archive is insufficient to be conclusive, an overlooked aspect of earlier attempts to decipher coastal landscapes. A successful remedy is to use joint inversions of multiple profiles using RoSETTA, improving the confidence of the results.

How to cite: Boucharat, Y., de Gelder, G., Husson, L., Authemayou, C., Bodin, T., Cahyarini, S. Y., Chauveau, D., Martinod, J., Pastier, A.-M., Pedoja, K., and Solihuddin, T.: RoSETTA: Inverting coastal landforms towards past sea-levels, tectonics, and coral reef dynamics, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-1701, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-1701, 2025.

Our recent investigations along the Coastal Cordillera in Central-South Chile have identified up to three marine terrace levels in areas including Vegas del Itata, Purema, Coliumo, Punta de Parra, Talcahuano, and Coronel. These terraces appear to correlate with those previously mapped to the north between Pelluhue and Pichilemu, and to the south between Coronel and the Arauco Peninsula. Prior studies in the region have reported uplift rates ranging from 0.3 to 1.1 m/ka between Pelluhue and Pichilemu, and 1.8 ± 0.2 m/ka for the ~125-ka-old marine terrace on the Arauco Peninsula. Notably, areas with recognized faults exhibit higher uplift rates, while regions between these faults tend to have lower rates. The identified marine terrace levels have been associated with Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5, 7, and 9. Through a comprehensive analysis of the newly mapped terraces' shoreline angles, we anticipate deriving similar uplift rates for this area.

How to cite: Vergara, P. and Marquardt, C.: Quaternary coastal uplift along the Coastal Cordillera along Central-South Chile: preliminary results from new marine terraces mapping , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-14153, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14153, 2025.

To understand syn-sedimentary wave-energy conditions, past coastal dynamics, and sea-level changes, this field-based study examines high-energy marine sediments of presumed Pliocene age around Cape Town, South Africa. Although these deposits were mapped over a century ago, they have not undergone modern sedimentological analysis. The deposits consist of rounded, moderately well-sorted orthoquartzite clasts ranging from cobble to boulder size (>3 m in diameter). The presence of percussion marks indicates significant sediment reworking by intense waves. Clast characteristics—size, sorting, roundness, and composition—across four locations also reflect devastatingly intense waves in powerful, multi-event storms rather than single catastrophic events like tsunamis. This interpretation aligns with evidence that southwestern Africa’s passive continental margins have been storm-dominated in post-Miocene. These insights into Cape Town's coastal dynamics, which suggest erosion of local rocky shores during "super storms," are consistent with global high-energy beach processes in the Pliocene—a period characterized by elevated global temperatures, frequent intense storms, and high sea levels. The findings refine our understanding of how past high-energy marine events shaped shorelines and provide an analogue for the impact modern sea-level rise. Accurate age dating is essential for reliably correlating these sediments with global Pliocene deposits and for reconstructing the post-Miocene shoreline history. Regardless of their exact age, the sedimentological properties and stratigraphic position of Cape Town's fossil beaches indicate that during their formation, the local sea level was up to 30 m higher than today, with the deposits having been reworked and transported in powerful marine events, which are often linked to increasing global temperatures that trigger glacio-eustatic sea level rise.

How to cite: Akkas, T. and Bordy, E.: Beached above Cape Town: well-worn cobbles talk, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-806, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-806, 2025.

Sequence stratigraphy has predominantly been used on seismic data to interpret basin stratigraphic architectures, especially offshore, but its application to onshore outcrops, and more specifically to the stratigraphic records of the last interglacial periods, remains comparatively rare. The preservation of marine terraces on the southern coast of the Gulf of Corinth (Greece) enables high-resolution study of exposed stratigraphic architectures within terrace deposits.  Fourteen marine terraces corresponding to the last 400 ka are visible in outcrop. This study focuses on the detailed analysis of outcrop sequences in the marine terraces of the Gulf of Corinth, aiming to document multiple regression cycles recorded during past interglacials.

The outcrops are roughly organised in km-large, including hundreds of meters-high Gilbert-type deltas. We identify clinoforms and facies associations thanks to panoramas and stratigraphic logs interpretations and then, we determine the different systems tracts: LST, TST, HST and FSST and the offlap break for the consecutive marine terraces. This enables us to illustrate the processes involved in the formation of marine terraces in relation to eustatic variations. The restored stratigraphic architecture captures an entire record of several cycles organised in an overall forced regression, from the most proximal facies to the most distal ones. This record encompasses the last 400 ka. On this record, we identify almost every HST and some considerable LST and narrow TST in discontinuity with the basement by interpreting topsets, foresets, bottomsets and discontinuities.

We determine how coastline has migrated through time by establishing the trajectory path of the land-sea interface during the last 400 ka. We finally correlate the coastline migration rates with sediment flux dynamics to discuss the relationship between erosion processes and sea-level changes along the coastline.  For example, we illustrate that deposition of sediments in the offshore is more important during low sea levels.

The Gulf of Corinth outcrop sequences could serve as a natural laboratory for testing proxies and understanding the interplay between tectonics, climate, and sea-level changes for the past interglacials.

How to cite: Deiss, N., Rohais, S., and Regard, V.: Sequence stratigraphy on outcrops in the Gulf of Corinth (Greece): world-class record of multiple regression cycles from the past interglacials, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-3041, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-3041, 2025.