Sea-level oscillations in the East China Sea and their implications for global seawater redistribution during 14.0–10.0 kyr BP

Abstract

The sea-level curve during the last deglaciation is characterized by two episodes of rapid sea-level rise, termed Meltwater Pulses (MWPs) 1A (14.6–14.3 kyr BP) and 1B (11.45–11.1 kyr BP), as well as an episode of relatively slow sea-level rise during the Younger Dryas stadial (YD; 12.85–11.65 kyr BP). However, the relative sea-level changes during the YD and MWP-1B periods are still not well defined. Here, we use precisely dated intertidal sediments derived from 6 sediment cores on the tectonically stable continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) to reconstruct a high-resolution sea-level curve between 14.0 kyr BP and 10.0 kyr BP. Although linear regression analysis suggests that the sea level rose continuously, with an average rate of 10.6 ± 0.6 mm/yr (r = −0.87, p(a) < 0.01, n = 95), the mode of sea-level rise differs before, during, and after the YD stadial. A rapid sea-level rise of 30.5 ± 4.9 mm/yr (r = −0.79, p(a) < 0.05, n = 25) occurred during 14.0–12.85 kyr BP. Subsequently, the rate of sea-level rise decreased significantly in response to the YD stadial, and it increased smoothly to 12.0 ± 1.4 mm/yr (r = −0.86, p(a) < 0.01, n = 29) from 11.65–10.0 kyr BP, indicating that MWP-1B was absent on the ECS shelf. Furthermore, based on comparisons of these data with other high-resolution curves of sea level or elevation at different latitudes, we suggest that the poleward seawater migration from intertropical broad oceans occurred because glacial isostatic adjustment could have generated a relatively consistent global sea-level height during the last deglaciation, especially during the YD, when the rate of sea-level rise was slowed.