New models of North West European Holocene palaeogeography and inundation

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2013.05.023Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • New Palaeogeographic models of North West Europe from 11,000 BP to present day at 500 year intervals.

  • Calculated rates for Holocene inundation across North West Europe.

  • High rates of change do not necessarily mean catastrophic impacts.

  • Understanding rates of change and their social implications requires a multi-scalar, multidisciplinary approach to the past.

Abstract

This paper presents new 500 year interval palaeogeographic models for Britain, Ireland and the North West French coast from 11000 cal. BP to present. These models are used to calculate the varying rates of inundation for different geographical zones over the study period. This allows for consideration of the differential impact that Holocene sea-level rise had across space and time, and on past societies. In turn, consideration of the limitations of the models helps to foreground profitable areas for future research.

Keywords

Holocene palaeogeography
Sea-level change
GIA modeling
Doggerland
Environmental change
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Maritime archaeology

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