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Abstract Stratigraphic interpretation generally relies upon the assumption that the fluvio‐deltaic surface responds uniformly to sea‐level changes; however, recent theoretical work suggests that changes in its relief and concavity can influence the propagation of sea‐level information upstream and result in geologically long‐lived lags in the system response. We test this theoretical result using measurements from a experimental delta subject to high and low magnitude sea‐level oscillations. In both cases, changes in relief and curvature of the fluvio‐deltaic profile result in the proximal portion of the profile being out of phase with respect to sea‐level cycles, whereas the nearshore regions remain in phase. These results underscore the importance of delayed response to sea‐level variations in the upstream portion of river deltas, often resulting in net erosion during sea‐level rise and potentially complicating the reconstruction of paleo sea‐level from deltaic deposits.