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    Sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Atlantic coast of Africa


    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

    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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