Late Holocene sea-level change around Newfoundland

Differential sea-level change in formerly glaciated areas is predicted owing to variability in extent and timing of glacial coverage. Newfoundland is situated close to the margin of the former Laurentide ice sheet, and the orientation of the shoreline affords the opportunity to investigate variable rates and magnitudes of sea-level change. Analysis of salt-marsh records at four sites around the island yields late Holocene sea-level trends. These trends indicate differential sea-level change in recent millennia. A north–south geographic trend reflects submergence in the south, very slow sea-level rise in the northeast, and a recent transition from falling to rising sea-level at the base of the Northern Peninsula. This variability is best explained as a continued isostatic response to deglaciation.