TY - JOUR T1 - Relative sea-level change in Connecticut (USA) during the last 2200 yrs JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters Y1 - 2015 A1 - Kemp, Andrew C. A1 - Hawkes, Andrea D. A1 - Donnelly, Jeffrey P. A1 - Vane, Christopher H. A1 - Horton, Benjamin P. A1 - Hill, Troy D. A1 - Anisfeld, Shimon C. A1 - Parnell, Andrew C. A1 - Cahill, Niamh KW - Atlantic Ocean KW - Foraminifera KW - Gulf Stream KW - Late Holocene KW - Salt marsh AB - We produced a relative sea-level (RSL) reconstruction from Connecticut (USA) spanning the last ∼2200 yrs that is free from the influence of sediment compaction. The reconstruction used a suite of vertically- and laterally-ordered sediment samples ≤2 cm above bedrock that were collected by excavating a trench along an evenly-sloped bedrock surface. Paleomarsh elevation was reconstructed using a regional-scale transfer function trained on the modern distribution of foraminifera on Long Island Sound salt marshes and supported by bulk-sediment δ13C measurements. The history of sediment accumulation was estimated using an age-elevation model constrained by radiocarbon dates and recognition of pollution horizons of known age. The RSL reconstruction was combined with regional tide-gauge measurements spanning the last ∼150 yrs before being quantitatively analyzed using an error-in-variables integrated Gaussian process model to identify sea-level trends with formal and appropriate treatment of uncertainty and the temporal distribution of data. RSL rise was stable (∼1 mm/yr) from ∼200 BCE to ∼1000 CE, slowed to a minimum rate of rise (0.41 mm/yr) at ∼1400 CE, and then accelerated continuously to reach a current rate of 3.2 mm/yr, which is the fastest, century-scale rate of the last 2200 yrs. Change point analysis identified that modern rates of rise in Connecticut began at 1850–1886 CE. This timing is synchronous with changes recorded at other sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast and is likely the local expression of a global sea-level change. Earlier sea-level trends show coherence north of Cape Hatteras that are contrasted with southern sites. This pattern may represent centennial-scale variability in the position and/or strength of the Gulf Stream. Comparison of the new record to three existing and reanalyzed RSL reconstructions from the same site developed using sediment cores indicates that compaction is unlikely to significantly distort RSL reconstructions produced from shallow (∼2–3 m thick) sequences of salt-marsh peat. VL - 428 UR - http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0012821X15004690http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0012821X15004690?httpAccept=text/xmlhttp://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0012821X15004690?httpAccept=text/plain ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Sea-level change during the last 2500 years in New Jersey, USA JF - Quaternary Science Reviews Y1 - 2013 A1 - Kemp, Andrew C. A1 - Horton, Benjamin P. A1 - Vane, Christopher H. A1 - Bernhardt, Christopher E. A1 - Corbett, D. Reide A1 - Engelhart, Simon E. A1 - Anisfeld, Shimon C. A1 - Parnell, Andrew C. A1 - Cahill, Niamh AB - Relative sea-level changes during the last ∼2500 years in New Jersey, USA were reconstructed to test if late Holocene sea level was stable or included persistent and distinctive phases of variability. Foraminifera and bulk-sediment δ13C values were combined to reconstruct paleomarsh elevation with decimeter precision from sequences of salt-marsh sediment at two sites using a multi-proxy approach. The additional paleoenvironmental information provided by bulk-sediment δ13C values reduced vertical uncertainty in the sea-level reconstruction by about one third of that estimated from foraminifera alone using a transfer function. The history of sediment deposition was constrained by a composite chronology. An age–depth model developed for each core enabled reconstruction of sea level with multi-decadal resolution. Following correction for land-level change (1.4 mm/yr), four successive and sustained (multi-centennial) sea-level trends were objectively identified and quantified (95% confidence interval) using error-in-variables change point analysis to account for age and sea-level uncertainties. From at least 500 BC to 250 AD, sea-level fell at 0.11 mm/yr. The second period saw sea-level rise at 0.62 mm/yr from 250 AD to 733 AD. Between 733 AD and 1850 AD, sea level fell at 0.12 mm/yr. The reconstructed rate of sea-level rise since ∼1850 AD was 3.1 mm/yr and represents the most rapid period of change for at least 2500 years. This trend began between 1830 AD and 1873 AD. Since this change point, reconstructed sea-level rise is in agreement with regional tide-gauge records and exceeds the global average estimate for the 20th century. These positive and negative departures from background rates demonstrate that the late Holocene sea level was not stable in New Jersey. VL - 81 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379113003740 JO - Sea-level change during the last 2500 years in New Jersey, USA ER -