Late Quaternary Relative Sea-Level Changes in High Latitudes

Abstract

Late Quaternary near-field relative sea-level (RSL) histories in high-latitude regions record the dominance of glacioisostasy and crustal unloading following ice-sheet decay. In these regions, RSL curves are generally characterized either by exponential RSL fall/emergence following deglaciation and the establishment of marine limit (‘Zone I’ RSL history) or by an initial interval of RSL fall/emergence that is followed by submergence recording migration of the forebulge (Transitional Zone I/II RSL history). Patterns of crustal rebound, as represented by isobases drawn on synchronous shorelines of equal elevation, show maximum elevations in former ice-sheet loading centers and have been central to reconstructions of Late Quaternary ice-sheet and RSL history in high latitudes, especially in the Arctic. This article focuses on the nature of near-field, Late Quaternary RSL histories, and the controls thereon, in high-latitude regions. It includes several case studies to illustrate general concepts and as examples to show how RSL data have been used in debates about Late Quaternary ice-sheet reconstruction.