Sea level changes since the Middle Ages along the coast of the Adriatic Sea: The case of St. Nicholas Basilica, Bari, Southern Italy

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Abstract

During the last decade, several papers have been published to estimate the relative sea level change fromcoastal archaeological indicators of the last 3.4 ka BP in many locations of the Italian coasts and theMediterranean Sea. The use of the archaeological information has been poorly focused for the MiddleAges, due to the few available coastal installations for this period, thus not allowing precise sea levelestimation for the last 1000 years, to complement the instrumental data available for the last 100e120years. This study discusses an archaeological marker of the Middle Ages, used to reconstruct the story ofthe sea level changes in the last 1000 years, at the St. Nicholas Basilica, built in 1087 AD along the coast ofBari (Apulia, southern Italy). The elevations of the ancient floor levels of the crypt underwent repeatedflooding due to a continuous rising of the groundwater table, which required restoration and uplifting ofpavements between 1087 and 1956 to keep them dry. The palaeo-sea levels have been obtained bymeasuring the position of the groundwater table, the elevation of which is mainly driven by sea levelsince the time of the construction of the Basilica.The elevation of the archaeological markers and the water table were compared against the latestpredicted sea level curve for the Holocene along the coast of Bari. As this coastal area is unaffected bysignificant vertical tectonic motion over the last 125 ky, the data detail the timing of the relative sea levelrise since the Middle Ages and can be used to improve the predicted sea level curve for this region for thelast 1000 years.

Autore Pugliese

Tutti gli autori

  • Pagliarulo R. ; Antonioli F.; Anzidei M.

Titolo volume/Rivista

Quaternary international

Anno di pubblicazione

2013

ISSN

1040-6182

ISBN

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Numero di citazioni Wos

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Settori ERC

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Codici ASJC

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