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

Matteo Vacchi (), Timothy A. Shaw, Edward J. Anthony, Giorgio Spada, Daniele Melini, Tanghua Li, Niamh Cahill and Benjamin P. Horton
Additional contact information
Matteo Vacchi: 53
Timothy A. Shaw: Nanyang Technological University
Edward J. Anthony: CEREGE
Giorgio Spada: Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
Daniele Melini: Via di Vigna Murata 605
Tanghua Li: Nanyang Technological University
Niamh Cahill: Maynooth
Benjamin P. Horton: Nanyang Technological University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56721-0

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