J. A. Dorale et al., Science, 327 (2010), Sea-level highstand 81,000 years ago in Mallorca

Science (12 February 2010), Vol. 327, No. 5967, pp. 860-863; DOI: 10.1126/science.1181725

Sea-level highstand 81,000 years ago in Mallorca

Jeffrey A. Dorale,^1,* Bogdan P. Onac,^2,* Joan J. Fornós,³ Joaquin Ginés,³ Angel Ginés,³ Paola Tuccimei,⁴ and David W. Peate¹

 

Abstract

Global sea level and Earth’s climate are closely linked. Using speleothem encrustations from coastal caves on the island of Mallorca, we determined that western Mediterranean relative sea level was ~1 meter above modern sea level ~81,000 years ago during marine isotope stage (MIS) 5a. Although our findings seemingly conflict with the eustatic sea-level curve of far-field sites, they corroborate an alternative view that MIS 5a was at least as ice-free as the present, and they challenge the prevailing view of MIS 5 sea-level history and certain facets of ice-age theory.

 

¹ Department of Geoscience, University of Iowa, 121 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
² Department of Geology, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, SCA 528, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; and Department of Geology, Babes-Bolyai University, Emil Racovita Institute of Speleology Cluj, Romania.
³ Departament de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera Valldemossa km 7.5, Palma de Mallorca, 07122, Spain.
⁴ Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Università di Roma III, Largo St. Leonardo Murialdo, 1, 00146 Roma, Italy.

^*Correspondence e-mail: jeffrey-dorale@uiowa.edu (J.A.D.); bonac@cas.usf.edu (B.P.O.). These authors contributed equally to this work.


Link:  http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/327/5967/860