Holocene Beach-Ridge Elevation Data for Northeastern Australia Sea-Level Reconstruction

Northeastern Queensland beach-ridge strandplain data from Cowley Beach, comprising 36 prominent ridges. The dataset includes a fine-scale digital elevation model used to examine morphology and compare with regional Holocene sea-level history over approximately 7,000 years. It was published in Marine Geology in 2019 and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Reconstructing regional Holocene relative sea-level curves based on beach-ridge elevation patterns.
• Modeling coastal topographic patterns under different sea-level scenarios (stable vs. rising).
• Analyzing the sensitivity of berm facies elevation to subtle sea-level changes (tens of cm over millennia).
• Comparing strandplain morphology with coral-derived sea-level indicator data for validation.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific coastal landform with 36 prominent beach ridges, providing a detailed morphological record.
• Data spans approximately 7,000 years, covering a significant portion of the Holocene.
• Analysis is directly compared with published robust coral sea-level indicator data for the region.
• The study models expected elevation distribution patterns for stable and rising sea levels, providing a methodological framework.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Utilized a fine-scale digital elevation model of a beach-ridge strandplain, combined with morphological and stratigraphic analysis.

Time Range

Holocene, approximately the past 7,000 years.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:15:55.633438; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Cowley Beach, tropical northeastern Australia (Northeastern Queensland).