Late Pleistocene-Holocene sea level and climate changes in the Gulf of Saros: Evidence from seismostratigraphic record and sediment core data

A detailed record of sea level changes and climate oscillations in the Gulf of Saros during the late Pleistocene to the Holocene is provided by high-resolution seismic reflection profiles and analysis of a sediment core. The seismic stratigraphy reveals the formation of four main depositional units bounded by prominent reflection surfaces, reflecting high sea level variations. The Last Glacial Maximum period in the gulf is associated with the lowstand sea level, forming the deepest marine terrace at −148 m. The increasing sea level due to post-glacial warming was accompanied by the deposition of transgressive units characterized by coastal onlaps together with local channel-fills. This transgressive phase was modulated by three brief still-stands sea levels at 17 cal ka BP, 14.6 cal ka BP and 13.6 cal ka BP, producing the younger marine terraces in the gulf at −135 m, −112 m and −90 m, respectively. A comparison of their depths with the global sea level curve reveals elevation differences with decreasing subsidence rates from the older to younger ages, implying tectonic subsidence along the gulf floor.

The close correlation of multi-proxy data from core SAG-22 in the gulf with the northern Aegean and Anatolia data strongly indicates that the timings of the past climate events generally agree with the global and regional climate patterns. The warm climate around the gulf during the late phase of Bølling/Allerød (13.3–12.6 cal ka BP) is represented by high marine biological productivity and improved ventilation in the deeper water due to subsequent transgression. Permafrost formation in the catchment area during the following cold and dry Younger Dryas period (12.6–11.7 cal ka BP) resulted in reduced soil erosion and sediment input to the gulf. Noticeable warming during the Early Holocene between 11.2 cal ka BP and 9.4 cal ka BP is recorded by the multi-proxy data of the core when the enhanced marine biological productivity occurred above the poorly oxygenated deep water column. The climatic deterioration to a cooler and drier phase during the Early to Middle Holocene transition (9.4–7.8 cal ka BP) resulted in intense physical weathering and erosion, causing the highest sedimentation in the gulf. The later period of the Holocene is associated with the formation of two discrete sapropels at 7.8 cal ka BP and 5.4 cal ka BP that were accompanied by warm and wet climates around the gulf.