Database of biological and geomorphological sea-level markers from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present (Hibbet et al., 2018, Scientific Data)

We compile sea-levels data from 194
studies from 40 locations using different biological and geomorphological archives
(e.g., corals, mangroves, sediment cores) that have been radiometrically dated
using either radiocarbon, or U-series techniques (or both) into a single,
internally consistent database (~2,600 data points).

The new database is global in scope, and
represents a first major step in establishing, and maintaining, a central,
internally consistent archive of sea-level indicators for the interval from the
last glacial maximum to the present (the last 25,000 years). This is the most
recent interval of widespread destabilisation and disintegration of major
continental ice sheets. The compilation therefore provides a suite of data
beyond the range of modern variability with which to robustly test model-based
simulations of polar ice-sheet collapse and extreme sea-level change.

We have ensured that all fields are
fully documented, possess quantified uncertainties, and include all
accompanying metadata. We also provide updated age estimates, recalculated where
necessary using updated decay constants or calibration datasets, and sea-level
reconstructions. Our harmonisation of the data, and inclusion of all metadata,
ensures that disparate datasets may be compared, and that the data have continued
utility into the future because everything is included to allow later
re-evaluations if needed. The inclusion of all ‘raw’ data, and all available metadata
furthermore allows each sea-level indicator to be viewed with its proper, fully
expressed, uncertainties and geological context.