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Centennial-scale cycles in middle Holocene sea level along the southeastern Swedish Baltic coast

Yu, Shiyong LU (2003) In Geological Society of America Bulletin 115(11). p.1404-1409
Abstract
Submerged sea grasses and stoneworts growing in the immediate nearshore of the Baltic Sea are sensitive indicators of sea level. The alternating changes in concentrations of sea grass and stonewort macrofossils, obtained from an ancient lagoon of the Baltic Sea, are ascribed to middle Holocene sea-level fluctuations along the southeastern Swedish coast. Abundances of stonewort and sea grass macrofossils between 7500 and 6000 cal. (calibrated) yr B.P. were lower and less variable, indicating high and relatively stable sea level. Low-frequency fluctuations of sea level with a 1470 yr period during this time may have been forced by tidal action in the millennial band. After 6000 cal. yr B.P., sea level was lower and exhibited strong... (More)
Submerged sea grasses and stoneworts growing in the immediate nearshore of the Baltic Sea are sensitive indicators of sea level. The alternating changes in concentrations of sea grass and stonewort macrofossils, obtained from an ancient lagoon of the Baltic Sea, are ascribed to middle Holocene sea-level fluctuations along the southeastern Swedish coast. Abundances of stonewort and sea grass macrofossils between 7500 and 6000 cal. (calibrated) yr B.P. were lower and less variable, indicating high and relatively stable sea level. Low-frequency fluctuations of sea level with a 1470 yr period during this time may have been forced by tidal action in the millennial band. After 6000 cal. yr B.P., sea level was lower and exhibited strong fluctuations at centennial time scales, as evident in the stonewort and sea grass macrofossil records. Such a high-frequency oscillatory mode of sea level may have been regulated by centennial-scale solar activities or tidal actions, or both. The modest variation in solar irradiance is unlikely to have resulted in large-scale oscillations of sea level by directly changing the steric component. Instead, it governed sea-level fluctuations by changing the regional storminess through a North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like system. Storms embedded in the NAO-induced southwesterly winds played a major role in the centennial-scale fluctuations of the Baltic Sea level by pushing saltwater from the North Sea into the Baltic basin. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
NAO, Baltic sea-level changes, middle Holocene storminess, forcing, solar, lunar cycle
in
Geological Society of America Bulletin
volume
115
issue
11
pages
1404 - 1409
publisher
Geological Society of America
external identifiers
  • wos:000186413900008
  • scopus:0348010214
ISSN
0016-7606
DOI
10.1130/B25217.1
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
16598fad-f3a2-49c2-bf36-c4989bcc1745 (old id 296104)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:16:55
date last changed
2022-04-22 20:57:58
@article{16598fad-f3a2-49c2-bf36-c4989bcc1745,
  abstract     = {{Submerged sea grasses and stoneworts growing in the immediate nearshore of the Baltic Sea are sensitive indicators of sea level. The alternating changes in concentrations of sea grass and stonewort macrofossils, obtained from an ancient lagoon of the Baltic Sea, are ascribed to middle Holocene sea-level fluctuations along the southeastern Swedish coast. Abundances of stonewort and sea grass macrofossils between 7500 and 6000 cal. (calibrated) yr B.P. were lower and less variable, indicating high and relatively stable sea level. Low-frequency fluctuations of sea level with a 1470 yr period during this time may have been forced by tidal action in the millennial band. After 6000 cal. yr B.P., sea level was lower and exhibited strong fluctuations at centennial time scales, as evident in the stonewort and sea grass macrofossil records. Such a high-frequency oscillatory mode of sea level may have been regulated by centennial-scale solar activities or tidal actions, or both. The modest variation in solar irradiance is unlikely to have resulted in large-scale oscillations of sea level by directly changing the steric component. Instead, it governed sea-level fluctuations by changing the regional storminess through a North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like system. Storms embedded in the NAO-induced southwesterly winds played a major role in the centennial-scale fluctuations of the Baltic Sea level by pushing saltwater from the North Sea into the Baltic basin.}},
  author       = {{Yu, Shiyong}},
  issn         = {{0016-7606}},
  keywords     = {{NAO; Baltic sea-level changes; middle Holocene storminess; forcing; solar; lunar cycle}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{11}},
  pages        = {{1404--1409}},
  publisher    = {{Geological Society of America}},
  series       = {{Geological Society of America Bulletin}},
  title        = {{Centennial-scale cycles in middle Holocene sea level along the southeastern Swedish Baltic coast}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/B25217.1}},
  doi          = {{10.1130/B25217.1}},
  volume       = {{115}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}