Knowing the rate at which the sea-level rose 4-6 m (highstand) during the last interglacial period could help us assess whether such rapid ice loss could lead to future catastrophic sea-level rise. Blanchon and co-authors date a fossil coral reef from the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, to present a complete highstand reef-crest sequence and its U-series chronology. They find that the reef back-stepped to 6 m, which they infer occurred rapidly, and was triggered by a 2-3 m jump in sea level during a time of ice-sheet instability.
- Paul Blanchon
- Anton Eisenhauer
- Volker Liebetrau