Late Quaternary relative sea-level changes in the tropics

Abstract

The tropics are the geographical zone farthest from the polar ice sheets and have been little affected by glacio-isostatic processes during the glacial cycles of the Later Quaternary. Consequently, the sea-level history in the tropics is unique, and it reflects, to a great extent, the eustatic sea-level change. In the tropics, there are many proxy records suitable for reconstructing former sea-level positions. In particular, reef-building corals, mangrove peat, beach rock, and tubeworms on rock faces are all good sea-level indicators. The best sets of sea-level data come from the region between the Australian and Asian continents, as well as the Caribbean. These sea-level data have been used to reconstruct a complete sea-level history representative of the tropics for the past 20 000 years. It shows the position of the sea-level lowstand for the Last Glacial Maximum, phases of rapid rise of sea level, and the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand. The sea-level curve not only reveals the eustatic sea-level history, but also provides useful information about the characteristics of ice sheet melting, thus providing useful constraints on geophysical models.