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Decoding the interplay between tidal notch geometry and sea-level variability during the Last Interglacial (Marine Isotopic Stage 5e) high stand
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  • Nikos Georgiou,
  • Paolo Stocchi,
  • Elisa Casella,
  • Alessio Rovere
Nikos Georgiou
Ca' Foscari University of Venice

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Paolo Stocchi
Unknown
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Elisa Casella
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
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Alessio Rovere
Ca Foscari University of Venice
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Abstract

Relic coastal landforms (fossil corals, cemented intertidal deposits, or erosive features carved onto rock coasts) serve as sea-level index points (SLIPs) widely used to reconstruct past sea-level changes. Traditional SLIP-based sea-level reconstructions face challenges in capturing continuous sea-level variability and dating erosional outcrops, such as ubiquitous tidal notches, carved around tidal level on carbonate cliffs. We propose a novel approach to such challenges by using a numerical cliff erosion model embedded within a Monte-Carlo simulation to investigate the most likely sea-level scenarios responsible for shaping one of the best-preserved tidal notches of the Last Interglacial age in Sardinia, Italy. Results align with Glacial Isostatic Adjustment model predictions, indicating that synchronized or out-of-sync ice-volume shifts in Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets can reproduce the notch morphology, with sea level confidently peaking at 6m. This new approach yields continuous sea-level insights, bridging gaps in traditional methods and illuminating past Interglacial sea-level dynamics.
20 Oct 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
27 Oct 2023Published in ESS Open Archive