Holocene Sea-Level and Storm Records from the Great Barrier Reef Inner Zone

45 radiocarbon results from 11 sites show sea level fell smoothly from +1 meter at 6000 years B.P. to its present position. The dataset examines fringing reefs and storm ridges between 14° and 20° S on the Great Barrier Reef for Holocene environmental changes. It is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in 2026.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing Holocene sea-level curves based on coral microatoll indicators and radiocarbon dates.
• Analyzing the frequency of major storm events over millennia based on dated storm-ridge sequences.
• Testing isostatic adjustment models for sea-level change using the reported ±0.2 meter confidence limits.
• Investigating long-term climatic stability in reef systems based on the reported lack of evidence for changes over the last 6000 years.

Strengths

• Includes 45 radiocarbon results from 11 distinct sites, providing a multi-site perspective.
• Sea-level trend has defined confidence limits of ±0.2 meters.
• Storm recurrence analysis is based on a total of 8 surveyed traverses across 5 locations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified as the last update timestamp is in the future (2026-06-27).

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Field surveys and radiocarbon dating of coral microatolls and storm ridges.

Time Range

Holocene, with radiocarbon results ranging between 360 and 5855 years B.P.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 16:39:45.051722

Geography

Great Barrier Reef inner shelf, between 14° and 20° S latitude.