Coincidence of High Sea Level with Cold Climate and Low Sea Level with Warm Climate: Evidence from Carbonate Rocks

The belief is widespread among geologists that a valid corollary of the glacial-eustatic hypothesis is that extremes of climate and sea level coincide. In other words, that the colder the climate the lower the sea and the warmer the climate the higher the sea. Two examples are described in which extremes of climate and sea level do not appear to coincide. In one, evidence (based on carbonates) suggests a warm peak 10,000 to 12,000 yrs ago when sea level was low (−50 to −110 m). In the other example, faunal evidence suggests cold climate about 4300 yrs ago when the sea was at its present high level.