Holocene sedimentation on the North Norfolk barrier coast in relation to relative sea-level change

Fourteen distinct sedimentary environments have been recognised in the surface sediments of the intertidal zone of the North Norfolk coast. Nine of these can be distinguished in borehole samples on the basis of sedimentological and micro-palaeontological characteristics. They comprise: gravel; channel sand; intertidal sand; intertidal silty sand; intertidal mud and marsh creek; lower salt marsh; upper salt marsh; dune sand; and peat. Sediment accumulations have been penetrated to a depth of ?8 m OD and basal peats dated by ¹⁴C back to 8410 ± 50 years BP. An overall rate of sediment accumulation (and subsidence) of about 1 m per thousand years is indicated. There is considerable persistence of sedimentary environments in the same areas during up-building, but some erosion and roll-over of the coastal barrier system has occurred. Evidence of positive and negative sea-level tendencies are present in the record, but the main development of the tract is determined by sediment supply to the beach and marshes; positive sea-level tendencies occur at c. 6610, 5970, 4630 and 2790 BP, negative sea-level tendencies occur at 4520 to 4450 and (possibly) 3470 BP.     

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the inner Solway Firth

Bio- and lithostratigraphic data from four sites from the inner Solway Firth allow an accurate reconstruction of Holocene RSL changes in the estuary. Radiocarbon assays give eleven new sea-level index points providing a total of 24 reliable index points for the inner Solway Firth. These data show a consistent pattern of rapid RSL rise during the early Holocene culminating in a mid-Holocene sea-level maximum, then a gradual fall to the present day level. Detailed analysis of this dataset quantifies for the first time differential crustal movement between the north and south shores of the Solway Firth. These data are used to test the accuracy of quantitative isostatic rebound models of Lambeck and Peltier, and show there is good general agreement between the data and the models, especially during the early Holocene. The models predict the mid-Holocene sea-level peak slightly later than shown by the data (c. 500 and c. 2000 yr), this may be partly due to lack of resolution in the models, and for the south Solway the maximum altitude at this peak is 1 and 2.5 m too high in the two models. The data are also compared to the isobase models of the Main Postglacial Shoreline, showing slight diachroneity between the north and south shore but otherwise general agreement with the postulated age, and indicating that the altitude of this feature is 1–3 m higher than suggested by the models.     

A new Holocene sea-level curve for the southern North Sea

A new sea-level curve (MHW, mean high water level) for the southern North Sea is presented, spanning the last 10 000 years and based on new data recently obtained along the German coast. The 118 dates were selected from basal as well as intercalated peats of the Holocene sequence and archaeological dates from the last 3000 years. Because of different MHW levels along the German North Sea coast, all data were corrected to the standard tide gauge at Wilhelmshaven to make them comparable. Special advantages of this area for sea-level reconstructions are negligible tectonic and isostatic subsidence and the absence of coastal barrier systems that might have mitigated or masked sea-level changes. Changes of water level had therefore immediate consequences for the facies and could be dated exactly. The chronostratigraphic Calais-Dunkirk system has been improved and adapted to the new data. Altogether seven regressions (R 1-R 7) have been identified, each of them characterized by a distinct decline in sea level. These fluctuations are in accord with the evidence from other parts of the North Sea region. A draft of former North Sea shorelines is presented on the basis of this sea-level curve.     

New relative sea-level curves for the southern Scott Coast,Antarctica: evidence for Holocene deglaciation of the western Ross Sea

Here we present new relative sea-level (RSL) curves developed from Holocene-aged raised beaches along the southern Scott Coast of the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. Fifty-four dates of marine shells, seal skin and elephant seal remains incorporated within raised beaches during storms afford a chronology for these curves. All of the curves show the same pattern and timing of RSL change within a small range of error. The best-dated curve suggests that final unloading of grounded Ross Sea ice from the southern Scott Coast and McMurdo Sound region occurred shortly before 6500 ¹⁴C yr BP. This age is consistent with glacial geological evidence that places deglaciation between 5730 and 8340 ¹⁴C yr BP. Our data strongly suggest that grounding-line retreat of the Ross Sea ice sheet southward through the McMurdo Sound region occurred in mid- and late Holocene time. If this is correct, then rising sea level could not have driven ice recession to the present-day grounding line on the Siple Coast, because global deglacial sea-level rise was essentially accomplished by mid-Holocene time. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Submerged archaeological sites along the Ionian coast of southeastern Sicily (Italy) and implications for the Holocene relative sea-level change

Precise measurements of submerged archaeological markers in the Siracusa coast (Southeastern Sicily, Italy) provide new data on relative sea-level change during the late Holocene. Four submerged archaeological sites have been studied and investigated through direct observations. Two of them are Greek archaic in age (2.5–2.7 ka) and are now 0.98–1.48 m below sea level; the other two developed during the Bronze age (3.2–3.8 ka) and are now 1.03–1.97 m below sea level. These archaeological data have been integrated with information derived from a submerged speleothem collected in a cave located along the Siracusa coast at − 20 m depth. The positions of the archaeological markers have been measured with respect to present sea level, corrected for tide and pressure at the time of surveys. These data were compared with predicted sea-level rise curves for the Holocene using a glacio-hydro-isostatic model. The comparison with the curve for the southeastern Sicily coast yields a tectonic component of relative sea-level change related to regional uplift. Uplift rates between 0.3 and 0.8 mm/yr have been estimated.     

Insights into Holocene relative sea-level changes in the southern North Sea using an improved microfauna-based transfer function

In light of global warming and rising relative sea level (RSL), detailed reconstructions of RSL histories and their controlling processes are essential in order to manage coastal-protection challenges. This study contributes to unravelling Holocene RSL change on the East Frisian North Sea coast in high resolution and with a new approach for the German Bight. For the first time, a transfer function (vertical error: 29.7 cm ? ~11% of the mean tidal range) for RSL change based on a combined training set of benthic foraminifers and ostracods from the back-barrier tidal basin of Spiekeroog is applied to the Holocene record of the back-barrier tidal basin of Norderney. The resulting RSL curve for the Norderney tidal basin is corrected for decompaction and shows a deceleration in RSL rise between 6000 and 5000 cal bp. The smallest possible error envelope (~1 m) results from the good suitability of salt-marsh layers between 5000 and 4000 cal bp. The RSL curve provides an approach towards the closure of the common data gap of peat-based curves for the southern North Sea related to a lack of basal peats in the youngest age range, and verifies regional differences in glacial isostatic adjustment.     

The relative utility of foraminifera and diatoms for reconstructing late Holocene sea-level change in North Carolina, USA

Foraminifera and diatoms preserved in salt-marsh sediments have been used to produce high-resolution records of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) change. To determine which of these microfossil groups is most appropriate for this purpose we investigated their relative utility from salt marshes in North Carolina, USA. Regional-scale transfer functions were developed using foraminifera, diatoms and a combination of both (multi-proxy) from three salt marshes (Oregon Inlet, Currituck Barrier Island and Pea Island). We evaluated each approach on the basis of transfer-function performance. Foraminifera, diatoms and multi-proxy-based transfer functions all demonstrated a strong relationship between observed and predicted elevations (r²_jack > 0.74 and RMSEP < 0.05 m), suggesting that they have equal utility. Application of the transfer functions to a fossil core from Salvo to reconstruct former sea levels enabled us to consider relative utility in light of ‘paleo-performance’. Fossil foraminifera had strong modern analogues, whilst diatoms had poor modern analogues making them unreliable. This result reflects the high diversity and site-specific distribution of modern diatoms. Consequently, we used foraminifera to reconstruct RSL change for the period since ∼ AD 1800 using a ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹⁴C-based chronology, and we were able to reconcile this with tide-gauge records.     

Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area, southern Greenland

We present results from an investigation of relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area in south Greenland from c. 11 000 cal. yr BP to the present. Isolation and transgression sequences from six lakes and two tidal basins have been identified using stratigraphical analyses, magnetic susceptibility, XRF and macrofossil analyses. Macrofossils and bulk sediments have been dated by AMS radiocarbon dating. Maximum and minimum altitudes for relative sea level are provided from two deglaciation and marine lagoon sequences. Initially, relative sea level fell rapidly and reached present-day level at ∼9000 cal. yr BP and continued falling until at least 8800 cal. yr BP. Between 8000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, sea level reached its lowest level of around 6-8 m below highest astronomical tide (h.a.t.). At around 3750 cal. yr BP, sea level has reached above 2.7 m below h.a.t. and continued to rise slowly, reaching the present-day level between ∼2000 cal. yr BP and the present. As in the Nanortalik area further south, initial isostatic rebound caused rapid isolation of low elevation basins in the Qaqortoq area. Distinct isolation contacts in the sediments are observed. The late Holocene transgression is less well defined and occurred over a longer time interval. The late Holocene sea-level rise implies reloading by advancing glaciers superimposed on the isostatic signal from the North American Ice Sheet. One consequence of this transgression is that settlements of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures from ∼4000 cal. yr BP may have been transgressed by the sea.     

Holocene relative sea-level changes and vertical movements along the Italian and Istrian coastlines

Published and new data exist for relative sea-level change for 105 locations (127 samples) during the late Holocene, along the Italian (and Istrian) coasts. These data, compared with predictions (derived from two different models associated with the last glacial cycle) allowed the calculation of the tectonic vertical movements. They are based on precise measures of geomorphological and archaeological markers between 0.4 and 12.6 ka cal. BP, sampled at elevations between +7 and −51 m. In order to decipher the broad pattern of Holocene tectonic vertical movements along the Italian coastline, these data were compared with predicted sea-level curves using the most recent models published for the Mediterranean sea. Tectonic rates varied from −4.85 mm/a, in a core at Sybaris, to 5 mm/a, in the volcanic areas of Pozzuoli and Pantelleria. New MIS 5.5 (125 ka) data, mostly from the Venetian plain, are reported. In particular the depth of the base of MIS 5.5 paralic deposits found in four cores near Venezia provides a mean subsidence of 0.62 mm/a. New, precise mass spectrometer U-Th analyses on Cladocora layers from the bottom of a long core (named ENEA), indicate older ages (195.7 ± 1.6 and 161.2 ± 1.2 ka, respectively), relative to the published MIS 5.5 ages, which were based on alpha-counting U-Th data.Instrumental data obtained from tide gauges and repeated levelling measurements from the NE Adriatic and Sicily are also considered. These methods have one great advantage with respect to continuous GPS measurements and the satellite altimetric observations, in that a much greater time span is available. Although the altimetric measurements are available for 16 years, and the GPS for less than a decade, repeated levelling lines cover up to 50 years and tide gauge observations in some cases to 100 years or more. The greater time span allows for more stable differential rate estimates. The repeated levelling shows that the plain east of Mestre is subsiding (to −4 mm/a). The Messina tidal gauge demonstrates a total coseismic and post-seismic subsidence of 77 cm associated with the event of 1908, the post-seismic phase lasting for at least 13 years. The Reggio Calabria tidal station points to an uplift of this station relative to Palermo in the order of 1–2 mm/a.     

Holocene coastal response to monsoons and relative sea-level changes in northeast peninsular Malaysia

Sedimentological, geomorphic, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) data are combined with optically stimulated luminescence data to define the Holocene evolution of a coastal system in peninsular Malaysia. The Setiu coastal region of northeast Malaysia comprises five geological and geomorphic units representing distinct evolutionary phases of this coastline. Estimated marine limiting point elevations indicate deposition of an early aggradational shoreline associated with a sea-level elevation of −0.1 to +1.7 m (MSL_PMVGD datum) between ∼6.8 ka and 5.7 ka, in agreement with previous sea-level studies from the Malay–Thai peninsula. A hiatus occurs in the record between ∼5.7 ka and 3.0 ka, possibly due to a relative sea-level oscillation and shoreline erosion. Long-term relative sea-level fall and possible still-stands created strandplains that are interrupted by aggradational to transgressive paleo-barrier and estuary formation corresponding with brief episodes of RSL rise. Analyses of GPR facies and OSL ages suggest annual clinoform deposition, with geometries dictated by variations in ENSO. These data demonstrate the utility of high resolution studies of coastal facies as useful proxy indicators for paleoclimate studies at subdecadal to millennial time-scales.     

莱州湾南岸全新世相对海平面变化重建

在对莱州湾南岸8个钻孔沉积物沉积结构及有孔虫特征分析基础上,识别相关海面标志层位,辅以加速器质谱AMS14C测年,重建了全新世相对海面变化历史,并讨论了海面变化的沉积响应及控制因素。约9200cal BP以前,海面快速上升,研究区海侵时海面于-21.5m左右;9200~8400cal BP海面上升速率减缓至约2mm/a;8400~8000cal BP海面由-14m快速上升至-5.5m,速率约为33mm/a;8000~7600cal BP,海面持续数百年停滞或微弱下降;7600~7000cal BP海面由-5.5m快速上升至0m以上,速率至少约为13mm/a;7000~6000cal BP海面缓慢上升至+2~+3m位置,速率约为3mm/a;约6000cal BP以后海面缓慢下降至现今水平。约9200cal BP以前、8400~8000cal BP、7600~7000cal BP时期的3次海面快速上升,是MWP-1C融水脉冲、诱发8.2ka冷事件的融水脉冲,以及MWP-2融水脉冲的中纬度地区响应。中全新世全球冰融趋于停滞后,由于研究区沉积盆地沉降速度较慢,在冰川均衡调整效应下,使+2~+3m的相对高海面得以呈现。     

Holocene sea-level changes along the North Carolina Coastline and their implications for glacial isostatic adjustment models

We have synthesized new and existing relative sea-level (RSL) data to produce a quality-controlled, spatially comprehensive database from the North Carolina coastline. The RSL database consists of 54 sea-level index points that are quantitatively related to an appropriate tide level and assigned an error estimate, and a further 33 limiting dates that confine the maximum and minimum elevations of RSL. The temporal distribution of the index points is very uneven with only five index points older than 4000 cal a BP, but the form of the Holocene sea-level trend is constrained by both terrestrial and marine limiting dates. The data illustrate RSL rapidly rising during the early and mid Holocene from an observed elevation of ?35.7 ± 1.1 m MSL at 11062–10576 cal a BP to ?4.2 m ± 0.4 m MSL at 4240–3592 cal a BP.We restricted comparisons between observations and predictions from the ICE-5G(VM2) with rotational feedback Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) model to the Late Holocene RSL (last 4000 cal a BP) because of the wealth of sea-level data during this time interval. The ICE-5G(VM2) model predicts significant spatial variations in RSL across North Carolina, thus we subdivided the observations into two regions. The model forecasts an increase in the rate of sea-level rise in Region 1 (Albemarle, Currituck, Roanoke, Croatan, and northern Pamlico sounds) compared to Region 2 (southern Pamlico, Core and Bogue sounds, and farther south to Wilmington). The observations show Late Holocene sea-level rising at 1.14 ± 0.03 mm year^?1 and 0.82 ± 0.02 mm year^?1 in Regions 1 and 2, respectively. The ICE-5G(VM2) predictions capture the general temporal trend of the observations, although there is an apparent misfit for index points older than 2000 cal a BP. It is presently unknown whether these misfits are caused by possible tectonic uplift associated with the mid-Carolina Platform High or a flaw in the GIA model. A comparison of local tide gauge data with the Late Holocene RSL trends from Regions 1 and 2 support the spatial variation in RSL across North Carolina, and imply an additional increase of mean sea level of greater than 2 mm year^?1 during the latter half of the 20th century; this is in general agreement with historical tide gauge and satellite altimetry data.     

The first Holocene relative sea-level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway

Romundset, A., Lohne, Ø. S., Mangerud, J. & Svendsen, J. I. 2009: The first Holocene relative sea-level curve from the middle part of Hardangerfjorden, western Norway. Boreas , 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00108.x. ISSN 0300-9483.
The first relative sea-level (RSL) curve from the mid-Hardangerfjorden area covering the entire Holocene is presented. The curve is based on a series of AMS ¹⁴C dates on terrestrial plant macrofossils across the isolation level in each of five lakes located between 3.5 and 74.5 m a.s.l. During the first 1200 years, the RSL fell very rapidly from the marine limit at 98 m a.s.l. to 33 m a.s.l., i.e. at a rate of 5.4 cm yr⁻¹. The emergence rate then slowed considerably and was close to standstill 8000–6500 cal. yr BP. However, an emergence of 16.5 m has taken place during the past 6000 years. Radiocarbon dates of terrestrial plant macrofossils from the basal strata in a lake above the marine limit and mollusc shells from glaciomarine silt in the isolation basins yielded a mean age for the local ice-margin retreat of 11 300 cal. yr BP. This verifies that Hardangerfjorden was glaciated during the Younger Dryas – an interpretation that has recently been disputed. The ice margin retreated at a rate of about 300 m yr⁻¹ from the position of the Younger Dryas moraine to this site some 60 km further into the fjord.     

Alexandria-Nile Delta coast,Egypt: update and future projection of relative sea-level rise

Previous studies have indicated that the Nile River deltaic plain is vulnerable to a number of aspects, including beach erosion, inundation, and relatively high rates of land subsidence. This issue motivates an update and analysis of new tide-gauge records, from which relative sea-level changes can be obtained. Estimated rates from five tide gauges are variable in terms of magnitude and temporal trend of rising sea level. Analysis of historical records obtained from tide gauges at Alexandria, Rosetta, Burullus, Damietta, and Port Said show a continuous rise in mean sea level fluctuating between 1.8 and 4.9 mm/year; the smaller rate occurs at the Alexandria harbor, while the higher one at the Rosetta promontory. These uneven spatial and temporal trends of the estimated relative sea-level rise (RSLR) are interpreted with reference to local geological factors. In particular, Holocene sediment thickness, subsidence rate and tectonism are correlated with the estimated rates of relative sea-level change. From the relatively weak correlation between them, we presume that tectonic setting and earthquakes, both recent and historical ones, contribute more to accelerated RSLR than that of dewatering and compression/dewatering of Holocene mud underlying the Nile Delta plain. As a result, large areas of the coastal plain have been subsided, but some sectors have been uplifted in response to tectonic activities of thick underlying older strata. Projection of averaged sea-level rise trend reveals that not all the coastal plain of the Nile Delta and Alexandria is vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise at the same level due to wide variability of the land topography, that includes low-lying areas, high-elevated coastal ridges and sand dunes, accretionary beaches, and artificially protective structures. Interaction of all aspects (tectonic regime, topography, geomorphology, erosion rate, and RSLR rate) permitted to define risk areas much vulnerable to impacts of sea incursion due to accelerated sea-level rise.     

Relative sea-level trends during the early–middle Holocene along the eastern coast of mainland Scotland, UK

Previously published radiocarbon-dated horizons relating to early and middle Holocene relative sea-level change along the eastern coast of mainland Scotland are examined and trends determined. The data are modified to ensure comparability and are compared against the pattern of glacio-isostatic uplift in the area. Results show that the rate of relative sea-level rise during the Main Postglacial Transgression in the middle Holocene becomes greater towards the edge of the uplifted area, whilst the age of the Main Postglacial Shoreline becomes younger in the same direction. Linear and quadratic regression analyses disclose trends which indicate that at the 0 m HWMOST isobase of the Main Postglacial Shoreline the rate of relative sea level rise between c. 8400 and c . 7000 14 C years BP ( c . 9500 to c . 7900 cal. BP) was 5-11 mm/radiocarbon year or 6-11 mm/calibrated year, whilst at the same isobase the Main Postglacial Shoreline was reached between 5500 and 6100 14 C years BP (between 6300 and 7000 cal. BP). The relative sea-level changes identified are compatible with a rising sea surface level offshore, which may have involved three episodes, possibly related to regional and wider deglaciation.     

Late Holocene relative sea-level changes and the earthquake deformation cycle around upper Cook Inlet,Alaska

Multiple peat-silt couplets preserved in tidal marsh sediment sequences suggest that numerous great plate boundary earthquakes caused the coast around Cook Inlet, Alaska, to subside over the past 3500 years. Field and laboratory analyses of the two youngest couplets record the well-documented earthquake of AD 1964 and the penultimate one, approximately 850 cal yr BP. Diatom assemblages from a range of modern day estuarine environments from tidal flat through salt marsh to acidic bog produce quantitative diatom transfer function models for elevation reconstructions based on fossil samples. Only nine out of 124 fossil assemblages analysed, including previously published data for the AD 1964 earthquake, have a poor modern analogue. Calibration of fossil samples indicate co-seismic subsidence of 1.50±0.32 m for AD 1964, similar to measurements taken after the earthquake, and 1.45±0.34 m for the ∼850 cal yr BP earthquake. Elevation standard errors for individual fossil samples range from ∼0.08 m in peat layers to ∼0.35 m in silt units. Lack of a chronology within fossil silt units prevents identification of changes in the rate of recovery and land uplift between the post-seismic and inter-seismic periods. However, preservation of multiple peat-silt couplets indicates no net emergence over multiple earthquake cycles. Glacio-isostatic movements from Little Ice Age glacier advance and retreat explains a ∼0.15 m relative sea-level oscillation recorded within the peat layer subsequently submerged as a result of the AD 1964 earthquake. Before both this and the ∼850 cal yr BP earthquake, diatom assemblages suggest pre-seismic relative sea-level rise of ∼0.12±0.13 m, representing possible precursors to great earthquakes.     

Holocene sea-level fluctuation in the southern hemisphere

If rising sea levels dominate in the northern hemisphere (NH), falling or fluctuating sea levels predominate in the southern hemisphere (SH). Endogenic processes (tectonics, isostasy or geoidal changes) could explain local or regional mean sea level (MSL) fluctuations but not an hemispherical one.Evidence from South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and the Pacific and Indian Oceans suggest that the Holocene transgression rose above the present MSL, in higher latitudes before the tropics. By plotting latitude against the age of MSL arrival at present coasts, good correlation is observed.Oceanic salinity mixing has been already proposed to explain this mid-Holocene sea-level fluctuation. Climate could be the only factor responsible for this hemisphere-wide behavior of MSL. It has been suggested previously that the climate of the SH precedes that of the NH by 3000 years. The climatic optimum, or maximum warmth, occurred predominantly about 6000 BP in the NH, but about 10–9000 BP in the SH.Short-term climatic effects on the sea level (monsoons, southern oscillation/El Niño phenomena) should have significant occurrences during the past in the windiest oceanic hemisphere.This latitudinal trend in former MSL should be considered when using shorelines as reference points for measuring vertical crustal movements.     

长江三角洲全新世海平面重建研究综述

通过综述国内外全新世海平面重建研究进展,总结了全新世海平面重建的各种指标和海平面重建存在的科学问题,认为冰川—水均衡作用、区域差异性构造沉降、沉积物压实和侵蚀再沉积作用是各地区全新世海平面差异性存在的主要原因;对长江三角洲各海平面重建指标进行了有效性分析,得出基底泥炭、硅藻、有孔虫转换函数,海相地层、古人类遗址、TOC/TN和δ13C、TOC/TS和自生铁硫化物是重建海平面的有效指标,并对每个指标的优缺点及重建时需要考虑的问题进行了阐述。     

OSL and 14C chronologies of a Holocene sedimentary record (Garding‐2 core) from the German North Sea coast

The history of sea‐level change and sediment accumulation since the last deglaciation along the German North Sea coast is still controversial because of a limitation in the quantity and quality of chronological data. In the current study, the chronology of a 16‐ka coastal sedimentary record from the Garding‐2 core, retrieved from the Eiderstedt Peninsula in Schleswig‐Holstein, northern Germany, was established using OSL and AMS ¹⁴C dating techniques. The robust chronology using 14 radiocarbon and 25 OSL dates from the Garding‐2 core is the first long‐term record that covers the Holocene as well as the last deglaciation period in one succession in the German North Sea area. It provides a new insight into understanding the Holocene transgression and coastal accumulation histories. The combined evidence from the sedimentology and chronology investigations indicates that an estuarine environment dominated in Eiderstedt Peninsula from 16 to 13 ka, followed by a depositional hiatus between 13 and 8.3 ka, attributed to erosion caused by the Holocene transgression; the onset of the Holocene transgression at the core site occurred at around 8.3 ka. The sea level continued to rise with a decelerated rate until around 3 ka. Since 3 ka, the shoreline has begun to prograde. Foreshore (tidal flat) sediments have been deposited at the drilling site with a very high sedimentation rate of about 10 m ka^?1. At around 2 ka, a sandy beach deposit accumulated in the sedimentary succession, indicating that the coastline shifted landward, which may represent a small‐scale transgression in the late Holocene. At around 1.5 ka, terrestrial clastic sediment started to accumulate, indicating a retreat of the relative sea level in this area, which may be related to local diking activities undertaken since the 11th century.