Quaternary continental shelves and coastal areas record the impact of relative sea-level changes as well as the influence of fluctuations in sediment supply. Relative sea-level change (i.e., its rate of rise or fall) defines the space made available for sediment fill (known as accommodation space) and represents a complex function of global sea-level change (known as eustatic change), regional movements of the seafloor induced by tectonics (subsidence, uplift, and related margin tilt), sediment loading, and compaction. While changes in accommodation space are well documented on many continental margins, the impact of changing sediment flux to nearshore areas is far more poorly defined, particularly on short time scales. The late Holocene is an interval of relatively stable sea-level high stand when the impact of short-term changes in sediment flux can best be quantified.

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