Modeling Last Interglacial notch formation in Orosei – Sardinia, Italy

A 70 km laterally extending tidal notch was carved during the Last Interglacial (127-116 ka BP) along the East-Sardinian coast, Orosei Gulf, with a maximum height of 9.1 m. We present the results of the detailed mapping of the Orosei tidal notch using the Structure from Motion Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) reconstruction method. Although its geometry is laterally constant, the notch depth differs due to local factors. Results of SfM-MVS reconstructions, together with local parameters, were used as input in a geometric model that simulates the notch shape based on randomly sampled relative sea-level curves. The modeled profiles best matching the real shape of the notch are those characterized by a bimodal geometry. Extracting information from this rocky imprint is considered crucial to better understand past changes in sea level, which are in turn significant to better gauge sea-level variations in warmer climate conditions.