Vacchi, Matteo, Shaw, Timothy A., Anthony, Edward J., Spada, Giorgio, Melini, Daniele, Li, Tanghua, Cahill, Niamh and Horton, Benjamin P. (2025) Sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Atlantic coast of Africa. Nature Communications, 16 (1). ISSN 2041-1723
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Abstract
Constraining sea level at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is spatially restricted
to a few locations. Here, we reconstruct relative sea-level (RSL) changes along
the Atlantic coast of Africa for the last ~30 ka BP using 347 quality-controlled
sea-level datapoints. Data from the continental shelves of Guinea Conakry and
Cameroon indicate a progressive lowering of RSL during the LGM from
−99.4 ± 5.2 m to −104.0 ± 3.2 m between ~26.7 ka and ~19.1 ka BP. From ~15 ka to
~7.5 ka BP, RSL shows phases of major accelerations up to ~25 mm a−1 and a
significant RSL deceleration by ~8 ka BP. In the mid to late Holocene, data
indicate the emergence of a sea-level highstand, which varied in magnitude
(0.8 ± 0.8 m to 4.0 ± 2.4 m above present mean sea level) and timing (5.0 ± 1.0
to 1.7 ± 1.0 ka BP). We further identified misfits between glacial isostatic
adjustment models and the highstand, suggesting the interplay of different
ice-sheet meltwater contributions and hydro-isostatic processes along the
wide region of Atlantic Africa are not fully resolved.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Sea level; Last Glacial Maximum; Atlantic coast of Africa; |
| Academic Unit: | Faculty of Science and Engineering > Mathematics and Statistics |
| Item ID: | 21269 |
| Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41467-025-56721-0 |
| Depositing User: | Niamh Cahill |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Mar 2026 16:18 |
| Journal or Publication Title: | Nature Communications |
| Publisher: | Nature Publshing Group |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Related URLs: | |
| Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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