Information to “ Probabilistic assessment of sea level during the Last Interglacial ”

Nature of the indicators and depositional ranges. The sea level indicators take a variety of forms, including: constructional coral terraces that provide both geomorphological and ecological information; coral biofacies in limestones that provide ecological but not geomorphological information; erosional features such as wave-cut terraces, sea caves, bioerosional notches, and raised beaches; and sedimentological and biofacial indicators of depositional depth. Most of the indicators reflect deposition or formation within a specific range of depths. The most common reef terraces and associated coral assemblages, for instance, are generally interpreted as indicating deposition between mean low tide level and 5 m below mean low tide level 1,2. Intertidal sedimentary facies indicate deposition within the tidal range. While recognizing that LIG tidal amplitudes could have been slightly different than today, we convert descriptive ranges such as these into a common reference frame based on the tidal ranges reported in tide tables at a nearby modern locality. We also attempt to correct for variability in the measurement datum; while most sea level indicators have altitudes reported with respect to " modern sea level " , some are more usefully described with reference to datums such as the mean low tide level or mean high tide level. We convert such datums into a mean tide level datum. Some data, such as subtidal sedimentary facies, are limiting points; they place an upper or lower limit on past sea level but do not indicate a specific depositional depth. In statistical terminology, limiting points are censored data. Age. Age constraints on our data come from a variety of sources with a range of precisions. In some cases, age is constrained only by stratigraphic relationships with other units. In many cases, particularly involving coral reefs, radiometric (U/Th) dates are available. Other age constraints are derived from amino acid racemization, electron spin resonance dating, and related techniques such as thermoluminescence. In three cases (the global oxygen isotope curve, the Red Sea oxygen isotope curve, and the Dutch sea level curve), relative ages are known with more precision than absolute ones. As described below, we have scaled and shifted the age models of the Red Sea and Dutch local sea level curves to be consistent with the Lisiecki and Raymo 3 age model for the global oxygen isotope curve. All of the dates outputted by our analysis should therefore be viewed within the context of this age model, which places the start …