Lambek, 1995

Question 1

What has caused a rise in sea level around the British Isles since the time of the last glacial maximum?

Answer 1

Due to the isostatic rebound from the glacial unloading of northern Britain and the meltwater loading of the adjacent seas.

Question 2

What are the parameters for the glacio-hydro-isostatic model used and what will this measure?

Answer 2

Observations of sea level change for this period describing…

• The effective lithospheric thickness or rigidity
• The effective mantle viscosity
• Certain ice sheet characteristics such as the ice thickness at the time of the last glacial maximum.

Question 3

What does the model produce in its results?

Answer 3

The models permit paleobathymetry and paleo shorelines to be predicted for the British Isles region, including the North Sea.

Question 4

The resulting evolution of coastlines exhibits a complex behaviour through time, one that is quite different from the usual models in which sea level change is assumed to be a function of time only. What were some findings?

Answer 4

Maximum emergence of the North Sea occured after glaciation had started and lasted for an extended period from about 15000 to 12000 years.

Shoreline retreat across the North sea became relatively rapid after about 10,000 years.

Question 5

The isostatic model predicts a complex spatial and temporal pattern of sea-level change since the time of the last glaciation maximum, one that is largely consistent with the observations of the British Isles. Nevertheless, some improvements to the model may be required…

Answer 5

Discrepancies between observations and predictions suggest that the Lateglacial ice volumes north of the Great Glen and possibly over Ireland need to be increased.

Question 6

Lambek, 1995

Answer 6

Model observes sea level change to permit paleobathymetry and paleo shorelines to be predicted for the British Isles region, including the North Sea.

Sea level has risen due to the isostatic rebound from the glacial unloading of northern Britain and the meltwater loading of the adjacent seas.

The parameters for the glacio-hydro-isostatic model are observations of sea level change for this period describing:

• The effective lithospheric thickness or rigidity
• The effective mantle viscosity
• Certain ice sheet characteristics such as the ice thickness at the time of the last glacial maximum.

Key findings:

• Maximum emergence of the North Sea occured after glaciation had started and lasted for an extended period from about 15000 to 12000 years.
• Shoreline retreat across the North sea became relatively rapid after about 10,000 years.

Improvements: Discrepancies between observations and predictions suggest that the Lateglacial ice volumes north of the Great Glen and possibly over Ireland need to be increased.