King, Daniel J., Newnham, Rewi M., Gehrels, W. Roland et al. (1 more author) (2020) Late Holocene sea-level changes and vertical land movements in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. ISSN 1175-8791
Abstract
Coasts in tectonically active regions face varying threat levels as land subsides or uplifts relative to rising sea levels. We review the processes influencing relative sea-level change in New Zealand, and the geological context behind ongoing land movements, focussing on major population centres. Whilst Holocene sea levels have been reconstructed using a variety of techniques, recent work uses salt-marsh microfossil assemblages to reconstruct relative sea-level changes over the past few centuries. For the twentieth century, these proxy-based studies often show enhanced rates of sea-level rise relative to tide-gauge observations. The effects of tectonic subsidence must be considered, alongside vertical and dating uncertainties in the sea-level reconstructions. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) observations for the past few decades show that vertical land movement (VLM) may be influencing rates of relative sea-level rise. However, the short period of GPS observations, during which trends and rates have varied at some localities, raises questions over the longer-term contribution of VLM to sea-level change over the past few centuries and for future projections. We argue that high-resolution palaeo-sea-level reconstructions from salt-marsh sedimentary sequences can help to answer these questions regarding the interplay between sea-level change and VLM at key locations.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Keywords: | climate change,Holocene,New Zealand,palaeoclimate,palaeoenvironment,palaeoseismicity,Sea level,sea-level rise,tectonics,vertical land movement |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 01 Jul 2020 09:30 |
Last Modified: | 23 Nov 2024 00:35 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.2020.1761839 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00288306.2020.1761839 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:162592 |
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Description: Late Holocene Sea Level Changes in New Zealand - Submitted