Coastlines of the Baltic Sea – Zones of Competition Between Geological Processes and a Changing Climate: Examples from the Southern Baltic - The Baltic Sea Basin - page 154

Fig. 7.3 Relative sea level change curve for the Darss Peninsula, western Baltic Sea (data pub-
lished by Lampe et al. 2007 ) , expressing at a neotectonically stable position mainly the climatically
driven sea level change. The original data have been fitted by a polynomial trend function of 6th
degree
The eustatic curve ec is identical with a relative sea level curve rsl determined at
a tectonical stable coastal site (Harff et al. 2001 ) . Such a position is situated at the
root of the Darss-Zingst Peninsula (SW of Rügen Island, marked by an arrow within
Fig. 7.7 , explanation below). The corresponding rsl curve (Fig. 7.3 ) displays the
eustatic change for the Baltic Sea since the Littorina Transgression onset. Deploying
Eq. ( 2 ) and using the rsl curves and the eustatic curve as input data it becomes pos-
sible to calculate the glacio-isostatic adjustment (gia) curve for each of the sites the
rsl curves are allocated to. Figure 7.4 shows a selection of curves along the whole
Baltic coast. For each of the selected sites the local rsl curve, the regional (blue) ec
curve (after Lampe et al. 2007 ) , and the (red) gia curve according to the calculation
after Eq. ( 2 ) are shown. The shape of these gia curves reveals the character of glacio-
isostatic behaviour. Sites 6, 7, and 8 in the northern part of the basin show a con-
tinuous uplift signal. Also sites 4, 5, and 9 show a predominantly uplift signal, but
remarkably weaker (see also Berglund et al. 2005 Miettinen et al. 2007 ) , regarded
as an (uplift) transition type (Harff et al. 2001 ) . At the southern Baltic coast, sites 1
and 3 are characterized by subsidence which can be explained by its position south
of the hinge line (Fig. 7.5 ) at the subsiding belt. The gia curve of site 2 located at
Rügen Island shows a shape similar to the transition type. We interpret this fact by
the position north of the hinge line at the uplifting part of the crust (Fig. 7.7 ) .
7.4 Sea Level Change and Palaeogeographic Scenarios
Long-term sea level changes are expressed for special sampling sites near coast
areas by relative sea level (rsl) curves. For the regional palaeogeographic scenarios,