Holocene coastal evolution and sea-level change on the southern coast of England: a review

Data collected recently from select areas within the eastern, central and western English Channel are used to reconstruct the Holocene evolution and sea‐level history of the southern coast of England. Rapid sea‐level rise in the early Holocene produced a ubiquitous vertical and lateral expansion in the marine influence. From ca. 6800 cal. (calendar) yr BP the rate of sea‐level rise declined and a shift from minerogenic to organogenic sedimentation is also widely recorded. A further decline in the rate of sea‐level rise occurred in the late Holocene, during which time the eastern and central English Channel experienced coastal inundation and a return to minerogenic sedimentation. Explanations for this apparent contradiction include the effects of this decline on the accumulation of minerotrophic peat and changes in sediment supply. Sea‐level index points from the eastern Channel generally plot below those from the central and western Channel, indicating differential crustal movement, although sediment compaction and tidal range also may be responsible for apparent altitudinal variation between these areas. Despite an increase in the quantity and quality of the data available from this region over the past 20 yr these, and a number of other important issues, require further clarification. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.