Relative Sea Level Database: Readme file

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                   NOAA Paleoclimatology Program
                                 and
               World Data Center A- Paleoclimatology
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: PLEASE CITE ORIGINAL REFERENCE WHEN USING THIS DATA!!!!!


NAME OF DATA SET: Relative Sea Level Database
LAST UPDATE: 5/4/93 (Original receipt date by NOAA Paleo) 
CONTRIBUTORS:
W.R. Peltier                      A.M. Tushingham
Department of Physics             Geodynamics Section
University of Toronto             Geological Survey of Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada          Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

IGBP PAGES/WDCA Data Contribution Series #:  93-014

SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: 
Tushingham, A.M. and W.R.Peltier, 1993,  Relative Sea Level Database.  
IGBP PAGES/World Data Center-A for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution 
Series # 93-016.  NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA.

ORIGINAL REFERENCE:
Tushingham, A.M. and W.R.Peltier, Validation of the ICE-3G Model
of  Wurm-Wisconsin Deglaciation Using a Global Data Base of 
Relative Sea Level Histories, Journal of Geophysical Research, 
v97, B3, 3285-3304, 1992.


GEOGRAPHIC REGION: Global
PERIOD OF RECORD: 0 - 14,000 YBP
LIST OF FILES:
Readme       - This readme file
Bysite.exe   - RSL data files, one site per file, compressed  
sealevel.dat - All Relative Sea Level data files, concatenated
rslsite.lst  - list of sites and file names in rsl database
rslform.lst  - FORTRAN code used to write sealevel.* data files

DESCRIPTION:

The file sealevel.dat contains radiocarbon-controlled relative 
sea level histories from 392 sites.  There are also 392 files
named sealevel.???, each containing data from one site.  These
files have been compressed using PKZIP into the file BYSITE.EXE.
To extract individualized files, just type  BYSITE.  A list of
site names and locations can be found in the file rslsite.lst.
The authors compiled the database from numerous published sources 
in addition to their own field work.  The microfiche appendix of 
the Original Reference (Tushingham and Peltier, 1992) contains 
the complete bibliography, and is available from AGU, 
2000 Florida Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20009 USA.  
Methodology for establishing relative sea level histories varies 
between sites and investigators, but typically entails 
geomorphologic methods to identify relict shoreline deposits, 
which are then dated radiometrically from associated carbonate 
or organic materials.  Final results are presented as relative 
height in meters versus modern mean sea level.

FILE FORMAT:

For each site, the data contains a header with ID#, Latitude, 
Longitude, and Sitename.  Data records contain 4 columns:
C14 age, age error, relative sea level in meters, and rsl error.