The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental archaeology invites you to a seminar with Dr. Christos Katrantsiotis, "Holocene relative sea level changes in the southern Baltic Sea".
In this study, we reconstruct the shore displacement in the Västervik - Gamlebyviken region on the southeast coast of Sweden, an important archaeological area since the Mesolithic. The area is characterized by a rich coastal cultural landscape. During Bronze Age, the area was one of Scandinavia's most significant places. During the 12th century, the town of Västervik was one of Sweden's first medieval towns. Our study is based on the diatom analysis of sediment cores taken from seven lake basins that were once connected to the Baltic sea but due to the land uplift are now located above the sea level. Our results provide evidence for a relative sea level rise by around 5-7 m in this coastal area during the early Holocene and at least for five transgression events that influenced the area during the mid-late Holocene. The early Holocene event is mainly attributed to the global eustatic sea level rise, while the late Holocene events are associated with periods of stronger westerly winds that would force more saline water to enter the Baltic Sea from the North Sea-Skagerrak areas.
The Research Seminar Series in Archaeology and Environmental Archaeology presents and discusses current research in archaeology and environmental archaeology.
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