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Title: Climate did not drive Common Era Maldivian sea-level lowstands
Reconstructions of Common Era sea level are informative of relationships between sea level and natural climate variability, and the uniqueness of modern sea-level rise1. Kench et al.2 recently reconstructed Common Era sea level in the Maldives, Indian Ocean, using corals, and reported periods of 150–500 years when sea level fell and rose at average rates of 2.7–4.3 mm yr−1, which they attributed to ocean cooling and warming inferred from reconstructions of sea-surface temperature (SST) and radiative forcing (Fig. 2 of ref. 2). We challenge their interpretation, using principles of sea-level physics to argue that pre-industrial radiative forcing and SST changes were insufficient to cause thermosteric sea-level (TSL) trends as large as reported for the Maldives2. Our results support the paradigm that modern rates and magnitudes of sea-level rise due to climate change are unprecedented during the Common Era3,4.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2002485
PAR ID:
10253697
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Editor(s):
Super, J.
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nature geoscience
Volume:
14
Issue:
(5)
ISSN:
1752-0894
Page Range / eLocation ID:
273-275
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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