Raised beaches have long been used to infer past sea-level fluctuations. Here we review data associated with such sea-level indicators for the eastern Mediterranean. Our standardised compilation of geological data confirm, albeit with large uncertainties, the position of the last interglacial sea level at around 5 m above modern sea level as predicted by various geophysical models.

Our new Holocene sea level curve is not only different to previously published data but also different to global glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) models. We see that as soon as ice melting has ceased, local processes control shoreline migration and coast evolution. This indicates that more emphasis should be placed on regional coast and sea-level change modelling under a global future of rising sea level as local government needs more specific and effective advice to deal with coastal flooding.

We show that in the last 3 kyr the evolution of the Chenier Plain, >200 km west of the Mississippi Delta, was influenced by changes in the position of the main river mouth, local sediment sources and sea-level rise. This information can be used to constrain future generations of numerical models to obtain more robust predictions of the effects of improved sediment management and accelerated rates of relative sea-level rise on the evolution of mud-dominated coastal environments worldwide.