A Holocene sea level curve for the eastern Mediterranean from multiple indicators

For a reliable construction of a sea-level curve - even a local one - sea level indicators from a variety of evidences should be used. Therefore, it is essential to qualify and quantify the accuracy of these sea level indicators. This paper shortly discusses sea level indicators common along the coastlines of the Eastern Mediterranean. Based on this a sea level curve is constructed for the younger part of the Holocene. This sea level curve can be found along different coastal types with different neotectonic histories. The general characteristics include a first sea level high around 6000-5000 BP not much different from the modern one, a significant regression of several meters and a smoother rise to the modern datum. Several places along the Mediterranean coastline and different sciences (geomorphology, geology, archaeology, history, biology, etc.) are used to arrive to this curve. The acceptance of this curve, however, depends highly on the agreement of indicators used, and their relation to sea level.