Coral δ18O Research Articles

20th Century δ18O Seawater and Salinity Variations Reconstructed From Paired δ18O and Sr/Ca Measurements of a La Reunion Coral

AbstractSea surface salinity (SSS) is an important variable in the global ocean circulation. However, decadal to interdecadal changes in SSS are not well understood due to the lack of instrumental data. Here we reconstruct SSS from a paired, bimonthly resolved coral δ18O and Sr/Ca record from La Reunion Island that extends from 1913 to 1995. Coral Sr/Ca correlates with regional sea surface temperature (SST) back to 1966, when instrumental coverage is good, while coral δ18O does not. The slope of the monthly (annual mean) coral Sr/Ca‐SST regression is −0.040 mmol/mol per 1 °C (−0.068 mmol/mol per 1 °C) consistent with published estimates of the Sr/Ca‐SST relationship. Coral Sr/Ca suggest a warming of 0.39 °C since 1913. δ18O seawater is calculated by subtracting the temperature component from measured coral δ18O, using coral Sr/Ca as well as historical SST products. The derived δ18O seawater reconstructions are correlated (r > 0.6), and all show a significant shift in the midtwentieth century (−0.17‰ to −0.19‰), indicating a freshening of SSS by 0.7 psu. However, the timing of this shift depends on the temperature component and varies from 1947 (δ18O seawater calculated with historical SST) to the late 1950s (δ18O seawater calculated with coral Sr/Ca). Coral Sr/Ca shows warm temperature anomalies in the mid‐1950s, while historical SST products show warm anomalies from 1940 to 1945 followed by cooling in the 1950s, a pattern typical for the World War II bias. This suggests that historical SST may bias reconstructions of δ18O seawater and SSS from corals.

Ningaloo Niño/Niña and their regional climate impacts as recorded by corals along the coast of Western Australia

Ningaloo Niño/Niña is characterized by abnormal warming/cooling of sea surface temperature (SST) along the coast of Western Australia, leading to coastal marine ecosystem disruptions and abnormal climate conditions in the eastern Indian Ocean and Western Australia. Owing to short instrumental records, long-term Ningaloo Niño/Niña variability and its impacts on regional climate are less understood. In this study, coral δ18O records with bimonthly resolution from two sites along the Western Australian coast are used to investigate the relationship between coral δ18O and local SST. Significant correlations exist between coral δ18O and Ningaloo SST with 1-month lag, and thus the former is employed to represent Ningaloo Niño/Niña variability during 1854–1993. Coral δ18O reveals that the Ningaloo Niño/Niña features interdecadal variations, occurring more frequently in the periods of 1860–1890 and 1900–1970. Correspondingly, the impacts of Ningaloo Niño/Niña on the northwestern Australian (NWA) rainfall exhibited marked interdecadal variations in the 20th century. Significant correlations between Ningaloo Niño/Niña and NWA rainfall occurred from 1900 to 1970, a period when frequent Ningaloo Niño/Niña events were recorded by coral δ18O. An increase in the correlation with rainfall in the recent decades was revealed in the instrumental records. Therefore, our study indicates the potential of using tropical corals to study long-term Ningaloo Niño/Niña variability and their regional impacts.

The Decadal Variability of the Global Monsoon Links to the North Atlantic Climate Since 1851

AbstractTo date, the decadal variability of the Global Monsoon (GM) has been mainly studied using instrumental data collected over the last 50 years, and further discussion has been hampered by the limited data length. Here, we present a coral δ18O record from the northern South China Sea, where the hydrology is related to the seasonal Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migration, and we use this record to reconstruct the decadal migration of the ITCZ since 1851 A.D. Combining our record with a synthesis of monsoon records reveals an anti‐phase inter‐hemispheric variability of the GM over the last 150 years, indicating that the decadal‐scale hydrologic variability in the tropics is modulated by the meridional migration of the ITCZ. The plausible relationship observed between the decadal variability of the GM and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation suggests that the decadal variability of tropical hydrological changes is likely linked to the climate perturbations in the North Atlantic.

Coral Records of Temperature and Salinity in the Tropical Western Pacific Reveal Influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Since the Late Nineteenth Century

AbstractThe Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a complex aggregate of different atmospheric and oceanographic forcings spanning the extratropical and tropical Pacific. The PDO has widespread climatic and societal impacts, thus understanding the processes contributing to PDO variability is critical. Distinguishing PDO‐related variability is particularly challenging in the tropical Pacific due to the dominance of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and influence of anthropogenic warming signals. Century‐long western Pacific records of subannual sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS), derived from coral Sr/Ca and δ18O profiles, respectively, allow for evaluating different climatic sensitivities and identifying PDO‐related variability in the region. The summer Sr/Ca‐SST record provides evidence of a significant SST increase, likely tied to greenhouse gas emissions. Anthropogenic warming is masked in the winter Sr/Ca‐SST record by interannual to multidecadal scale changes driven by the East‐Asian Winter Monsoon and the PDO. Decadal climate variability during winter is strongly correlated to the PDO, in agreement with other PDO records in the region. The PDO also exerts influence on the SSS difference between the dry and wet season coral δ18O (δ18Oc)‐SSS records through water advection. The PDO and El Niño–Southern Oscillation constructively combine to enhance/reduce advection of saline Kuroshio waters at our site. Overall, we are able to demonstrate that climate records from a tropical reef environment significantly capture PDO variability and related changes over the period of a century. This implies that the tropical western Pacific is a key site in understanding multifrequency climate variability, including its impact on tropical climate at longer timescales.

Correction Factors for δ18O-Derived Global Sea Surface Temperature Reconstructions From Diagenetically Altered Intervals of Coral Skeletal Density Banding

Reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST) from the δ18O and Sr/Ca composition of coral skeletal density banding (CSDB), identified with x-ray diffraction and micro computed tomography, provides invaluable centuries-long records of ocean circulation and climate change. Comparison with age-equivalent instrument measurements of SST over the last 125 years has proven these δ18O-derived SST reconstructions to be generally reliable. However, notable exceptions occur within discrete CSDB stratigraphic intervals that yield δ18O-derived SST underestimates of as much as 9°C with respect to instrument measured SST. Here we combine high-resolution optical and electron microscopy with geochemical modeling to establish correction factors for the impact of marine seafloor physical, chemical, and biological alteration (diagenesis) within these altered intervals of CSDB stratigraphy. Four cores were collected from Porites coral heads across a 4-24 m water depth bathymetric transect at Myrmidon Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Precise mapping of diagenetic aragonite cementation was completed within CSDB patterns digitally overlaid on 35 petrographic thin sections fully covering 2.1 m of core. The vast majority of core skeletal material exhibited little to no diagenetic aragonite cementation. However, extensive diagenetic alteration was observed within discrete CSDB intervals near the base of the two deeper water Porites heads. This diagenesis serves to modify skeletal density and CSDB stratigraphy in these intervals, as well as structurally reinforce the coral skeleton. Reliable δ18O-based SST correction factors for these diagenetically altered CSDB intervals are established here by applying the percent mixing of diagenetic aragonite cement to a binary mixing model. This approach, with quantitative extents of mixing established with both microscopy and existing globally distributed coral δ18O and Sr/Ca data sets, accurately restores modern and fossil coral δ18O-derived SST records. Results indicate that as little as 5% mixing of diagenetic aragonite cement with original coral skeleton will cause δ18O-based SST anomalies of 0.9°C.

Oman coral \u03b418O seawater record suggests that Western Indian Ocean upwelling uncouples from the Indian Ocean Dipole during the global-warming hiatus

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is an interannual mode of climate variability in the Indian Ocean that has intensified with 20th century global-warming. However, instrumental data shows a global-warming hiatus between the late-1990s and 2015. It is presently not clear how the global-warming hiatus affects modes of climate variability such as the IOD, and their basin-wide ocean-atmosphere teleconnections. Here, we present a 26-year long, biweekly record of Sr/Ca and δ18O from a Porites coral drilled in the Gulf of Oman. Sea surface temperature (SSTanom) is calculated from Sr/Ca ratios, and seawater δ18O (δ18Osw-anom) is estimated by subtracting the temperature component from coral δ18O. Our δ18Osw-anom record reveals a significant regime shift in 1999, towards lower mean δ18Osw values, reflecting intensified upwelling in the western Indian Ocean. Prior to the 1999 regime shift, our SSTanom and δ18Osw-anom show a clear IOD signature, with higher values in the summer of positive-IOD years due to weakened upwelling. The IOD signature in SSTanom and δ18Osw-anom disappears with the overall intensification of upwelling after the 1999 regime shift. The inferred increase in upwelling is likely driven by an intensified Walker circulation during the global-warming hiatus. Upwelling in the Western Indian Ocean uncouples from the IOD.

Isotopic evidence for twentieth-century weakening of the Pacific Walker circulation

The strength of the Pacific Walker circulation (WC) over the historical period is uncertain and strongly debated, largely due to the limited length of reliable instrumental records. Tropical Pacific corals provide continuous, highly-resolved records that can be used to overcome the limitations of the instrumental records. Here we combine coral δ18O records from the western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) and tropical central-eastern Pacific (CEP) to develop a coral WC index back to 1886. Our coral WC index is in good agreement with post-1950 instrumental records, justifying both a direct comparison with earlier instrumental records and an evaluation of twentieth century WC trends. Our results show that pre-1950 instrumental records appear to underestimate WC variability. The coral WC index reveals a significant weakening of the WC over the twentieth century in response to development of El Niño like SST pattern in the tropical Pacific and enhanced hydrological cycle over the CEP under greenhouse warming. Our results provide new evidence for twentieth century WC variability and offer an observational constraint for improving models and their prediction of future WC behavior.

Twentieth Century Seawater δ18O Dynamics and Implications for Coral‐Based Climate Reconstruction

AbstractThe oxygen isotopic composition of tropical coral skeletons (δ18O) is a crucial source of information on past El Niño/Southern Oscillation behavior. Both temperature and the δ18O of the surrounding seawater (δ18Osw) affect coral δ18O; a linear proportionality with δ18Osw is often used to infer past salinity variations, but the degree to which dynamical influences on δ18Osw may affect that relationship is still unclear. Here we use the isotope‐enabled Regional Ocean Modeling System to investigate the dynamics of δ18Osw and salinity variations in different twentieth century climate regimes. The dominant modes of δ18Osw variability are the background trend and eastern/central Pacific El Niño, similar to salinity; likewise, budget analysis reveals a strong impact of ocean dynamics (both advection and vertical mixing/diffusion) on δ18Osw variations during El Niño and La Niña events. These dynamics lead to alterations in the δ18Osw:salinity relationship across the Pacific: the linear approximation is most accurate near the eastern edge of the western Pacific warm pool but with nonlinearities due to large δ18Osw excursions during El Niño. At other sites, the δ18Osw:salinity relationship has substantial scatter and explains relatively little δ18Osw variance. Strikingly, interannual variability can lead to site‐specific δ18Osw:salinity regression coefficient changes of up to 0.4‰/psu on multiyear time scales. This calls the reliability of coral‐based estimates of El Niño/Southern Oscillation extremes into question and highlights the need for increased dynamical understanding as well as sustained in situ observations of δ18Osw and salinity variability.

Oil spill recorded by skeletal δ13C of Porites corals in Weizhou Island, Beibu Gulf, Northern South China Sea

Oil, is one kind of natural product of biological origin which is depleted in 13C. Coral skeletal δ13C is an important archive of environmental and climatic change. However, few studies have been conducted on the effect of oil spill on the coral skeletal δ13C at present. This kind of research is useful for us to obtain environmental and climatic information from coral skeletal δ13C. In this study, two continuously growing Porites corals (W1 and W3), aged 22 and 31 years (1994–2015 and 1985–2015), respectively, were collected from the fringing reef of Weizhou Island in October 2015, coral skeletal δ13C and δ18O were analyzed. Besides, seawater was collected during an oil spill in 28 January 2018, and was used for δ13CDIC (δ13C values of DIC) analysis. The purpose is to explore the potential impact of oil spills on δ13CDIC and coral δ13C. δ13CDIC value during oil spill was significantly lower than that of normal seawater (Δδ13C≈-2.38‰). Coral δ13C of both two coral colonies showed lower values since 2008 (average value of δ13C before and after 2008 change from −2.04 ± 0.48‰ to −3.33 ± 0.55‰ ‰ and −1.77 ± 0.49‰ to −2.88 ± 0.54‰ of W1 and W3 respectively), especially, several abrupt negative shifts in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014 when oil spills occurred (extent of δ13C variation were W1：−3.08‰, −1.82‰, −1.82‰, −1.53‰, −1.37‰; W3：−3.27‰, −1.8‰, −1.91‰, −1.21‰, −1.13‰ respectively). Our results clearly show that degradation of oil by microorganisms when oil spill occurs should render a decrease in the 13C/12C ratio of the seawater dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) which is the ultimate carbon source of coral calcification.

Tracking Interannual‐ to Multidecadal‐Scale Climate Variability in the Atlantic Warm Pool Using Central Caribbean Coral Data

AbstractAtlantic Warm Pool (AWP) climate variability is subject to multiple influences of remote and local forcing. However, shortage of observational data before the midtwentieth century and of long‐term sea surface temperature (SST) and climate records has hampered the detection and investigation of decadal‐ and longer‐scale variability. We present new seasonally resolved 125‐year records of coral δ18O and Sr/Ca variations in the Central Caribbean Sea (Little Cayman, Cayman Islands; Diploria strigosa). Both geochemical proxies show decreasing long‐term trends, indicating long‐term warming. Sr/Ca indicates much stronger regional warming than large‐scale grid‐SST data, while δ18O tracks large‐scale SST changes in the Atlantic Warm Pool. Seawater δ18O variations are reconstructed, indicating a drying trend over the past century. High spatial correlation between coral δ18O and SST in the region of the Loop Current and Gulf Stream system suggests that Little Cayman is a sensitive location for detecting past large‐scale temperature variability beyond the Central Caribbean region. More specifically, our δ18O data track changes in North Atlantic Oscillation variability on decadal and multidecadal time scales providing insights into the temporal and spatial nonstationarity of the North Atlantic Oscillation. A combination of our δ18O record with two coral records from different Caribbean sites reveals high spatial correspondence between coral δ18O and SST variability in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre, where few instrumental measurements and proxies are available prior to the twentieth century. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential of combining proxy data to provide information from sparsely sampled areas, helping to reduce uncertainty in model‐based projections.

Last Interglacial Hydroclimate Seasonality Reconstructed From Tropical Atlantic Corals

AbstractThe seasonality of hydroclimate during past periods of warmer than modern global temperatures is a critical component for understanding future climate change scenarios. Although only partially analogous to these scenarios, the last interglacial (LIG, Marine Isotope Stage 5e, ~127–117 ka) is a popular test bed. We present coral δ18O monthly resolved records from multiple Bonaire (southern Caribbean) fossil corals (Diploria strigosa) that date to between 130 and 118 ka. These records represent up to 37 years and cover a total of 105 years, offering insights into the seasonality and characteristics of LIG tropical Atlantic hydroclimate. Our coral δ18O records and available coral Sr/Ca‐sea surface temperature (SST) records reveal new insights into the variable relationship between the seasonality of tropical Atlantic seawater δ18O (δ18Oseawater) and SST. Coral δ18O seasonality is found to covary with SST and insolation seasonality throughout the LIG, culminating in significantly higher than modern values at 124 and 126 ka. At 124 ka, we reconstruct a 2 month lead of the coral δ18O versus the Sr/Ca‐SST annual cycle and increased δ18Oseawater seasonality. A fully coupled climate model simulates a concomitant increase of southern Caribbean Sea summer precipitation and depletion of summer δ18Oseawater. LIG hydroclimate at Bonaire differed from today's semiarid climate with a minor rainy season during winter. Cumulatively, our coral δ18O, δ18Oseawater, and model findings indicate a mid‐LIG northward expansion of the South American Intertropical Convergence Zone into the southern Caribbean Sea, highlighting the importance of regional aspects within model and proxy reconstructions of LIG hydroclimate seasonality.

A 50-Year Sr/Ca Time Series from an Enclosed, Shallow-Water Guam Coral: In situ Monitoring and Extraction of a Temperature Trend, Annual Cycle, and ENSO and PDO Signals

Bell, T.; Lander, M.A.; Jenson, J.W.; Randall, R.H.; Partin, J.W., and Prouty, N.G., 2019. A 50-year Sr/Ca time series from an enclosed, shallow-water Guam coral: In situ monitoring and extraction of a temperature trend, annual cycle, and ENSO and PDO signals. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(2), 269–286. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Located on the northern edge of the West Pacific Warm Pool and having a developed economy and modern infrastructure, Guam is well positioned and equipped for obtaining natural records of the west Pacific maritime paleoclimate. This study was a proof of concept to explore whether useful climate proxy records might be obtained from coral at readily accessible, even if geochemically nonoptimal, coastal sites. A 50-year Sr/Ca record (1960–2010) was thus obtained from a shallow-water, near-shore Porites lutea colony at a recreational facility inside Guam's Apra Harbor and compared with local and regional meteorological records, including the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) indices. The accessibility of the site enabled documentation of relevant environmental variables for 16 months (September 2009–December 2010): seawater δ18O, pH, seawater cations, and nitrate. Time series of seawater δ18O, pH, and cations show evidence of freshwater input from direct rainfall and stream discharge into the harbor. An anomalously higher mean and variable concentrations of Ba suggest the presence of river-borne, fine-grained terrigenous sediment. Nevertheless, the Sr/Ca time series reproduces a long-term warming trend seen in historical records of local air temperature and regional sea-surface temperature (SST) and closely tracks the ENSO and PDO indices over the entire 50-year record. The consistency of the results with Guam's historical instrumental records, previous coral δ18O results from Guam obtained by others, and previous Sr/Ca proxy results for SST in similar environments elsewhere demonstrate that accessible near-shore sites—where environmental conditions can be monitored—can produce useful Sr/Ca records of local and regional climate phenomena.

Climatic Influences on Southern Makassar Strait Salinity Over the Past Century

AbstractThe Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) is a globally important ocean current that fuels heat and buoyancy fluxes throughout the Indo‐Pacific and is known to covary in strength with the El Niño Southern Oscillation at interannual time scales. A climate system with a less well‐quantified impact on the ITF is the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM), which drives less saline surface waters from the South China Sea (SCS) into the Makassar Strait, obstructing surface ITF flow. We present a subannually resolved record of sea surface salinity (SSS) from 1927 to 2011 based on coral δ18O from the Makassar Strait that reveals variability in the relative contributions of different source waters to the surface waters of the Makassar Strait during the boreal winter monsoon. We find that the EAWM (January–March) strongly influences interannual SSS variability during boreal winter over the twentieth century (r = 0.54, p << 0.0001), impacting surface water circulation in the SCS and Indonesian Seas.

Spatiotemporal Variability of the South Pacific Convergence Zone Fresh Pool Eastern Front from Coral-Derived Surface Salinity Data

Direct observations indicate a southeastward expansion of the South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) fresh pool and a freshening trend since the 1970s. Understanding decadal and longer-term variability of the SPCZ fresh pool and of the salinity front located at its southeastern margin has been limited by the scarcity of instrumental sea surface salinity (SSS) measurements. This study uses coral δ18O as a proxy for SSS to extend the salinity record back to the 1880s, from three different locations across the SSS front: Fiji, Tonga, and Rarotonga (FTR region). High percentages of observed SSS variance are explained by multicoral δ18O mean composite at each site. At the interannual time scale, the salinity front displacement over the last 200 years follows the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index. The different El Nino flavors are observable in the amplitude of the salinity front interannual displacement. However, no significant changes in either the frequency or the amplitude of its displacements were observed. At longer time scales, the timing and magnitude of the freshening trend vary among sites. The earliest freshening onset of about −0.06 psu decade−1 is detected in Fiji (around 1865), then Rarotonga (around 1939), and Tonga (around 1982). The role of atmospheric freshwater fluxes on SSS variability is evaluated by comparing coral SSS to historical precipitation data. The results suggest that, despite the known influence of the interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO) negative phases on increasing atmospheric freshwater fluxes and lowering SSS in the FTR region, ocean dynamics has a dominant influence at decadal time scale and in the onset of freshening trends.

Coral record of variability in the upstream Kuroshio Current during 1953–2004

AbstractThe Kuroshio Current (KC), one of the most important western boundary currents in the North Pacific Ocean, strongly affects regional hydroclimate in East Asia and upper ocean thermal structure. Limited by few on‐site observations, the responses of the KC to regional and remote climate forcings are still poorly understood. Here we use monthly coral δ18O data to reconstruct a KC transport record with annual to interannual resolution for the interval 1953–2004. The field site is located in southern Taiwan on the western flank of the upstream KC. Increased (reduced) KC transport would generate strong (weak) upwelling, resulting in relatively high (low) local coral δ18O. The upstream KC transport and downstream transport, off Tatsukushi Bay, Japan, covary on interannual and decadal time scales. This suggests common forcings, such as meridional drift of the North Equatorial Current bifurcation, or zonal climatic oscillations in the Pacific. The intensities of KC transport off southeastern and northeastern Taiwan are in phase before 1990 and antiphase after 1990. This difference may be due to a poleward shift of the subtropical western boundary current as a response to global warming.

Oxygen isotope fractionation in the CaCO3-DIC-H2O system

The oxygen isotope ratio (δ18O) of inorganic and biogenic carbonates is widely used to reconstruct past environments. However, the oxygen isotope exchange between CaCO3 and H2O rarely reaches equilibrium and kinetic isotope effects (KIE) commonly complicate paleoclimate reconstructions. We present a comprehensive model of kinetic and equilibrium oxygen isotope fractionation between CaCO3 and water (αc/w) that accounts for fractionation between both (a) CaCO3 and the CO32− pool (αc/CO32-), and (b) CO32− and water (αCO32-/w), as a function of temperature, pH, salinity, calcite saturation state (Ω), the residence time of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in solution, and the activity of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase. The model results suggest that: (1) The equilibrium αc/w is only approached in solutions with low Ω (i.e. close to 1) and low ionic strength such as in the cave system of Devils Hole, Nevada. (2) The sensitivity of αc/w to the solution pH and/or the mineral growth rate depends on the level of isotopic equilibration between the CO32− pool and water. When the CO32− pool approaches isotopic equilibrium with water, small negative pH and/or growth rate effects on αc/w of about 1–2‰ occur where these parameters covary with Ω. In contrast, isotopic disequilibrium between CO32− and water leads to strong (>2‰) positive or negative pH and growth rate effects on αCO32-/w (and αc/w) due to the isotopic imprint of oxygen atoms derived from HCO3−, CO2, H2O and/or OH−. (3) The temperature sensitivity of αc/w originates from the negative effect of temperature on αCO32-/w and is expected to deviate from the commonly accepted value (−0.22±0.02‰/°C between 0 and 30°C; Kim and O’Neil, 1997) when the CO32− pool is not in isotopic equilibrium with water. (4) The model suggests that the δ18O of planktic and benthic foraminifers reflects a quantitative precipitation of DIC in isotopic equilibrium with a high-pH calcifying fluid, leading to a relatively constant foraminifer calcite δ18O-temperature relationship (−0.21±0.01‰/°C). The lower average coral δ18O data relative to foraminifers and other calcifiers is best explained by the precipitation of internal DIC derived from hydrated CO2 in a high-pH calcifying fluid and minimal subsequent DIC-H2O isotopic equilibration. This leads to a reduced and variable coral aragonite δ18O-temperature relationship (−0.11 to −0.22‰/°C). Together, the model presented here reconciles observations of oxygen isotope fractionation over a range of CaCO3-DIC-H2O systems.

Spatiotemporal variability in the δ18O-salinity relationship of seawater across the tropical Pacific Ocean.

The relationship between salinity and the stable oxygen isotope ratio of seawater (δ18Osw) is of utmost importance to the quantitative reconstruction of past changes in salinity from δ18O values of marine carbonates. This relationship is often considered to be uniform across water masses, but the constancy of the δ18Osw-salinity relationship across space and time remains uncertain, as δ18Osw responds to varying atmospheric vapor sources and pathways, while salinity does not. Here we present new δ18Osw-salinity data from sites spanning the tropical Pacific Ocean. New data from Palau, Papua New Guinea, Kiritimati, and Galápagos show slopes ranging from 0.09 ‰/psu in the Galápagos to 0.32‰/psu in Palau. The slope of the δ18Osw-salinity relationship is higher in the western tropical Pacific versus the eastern tropical Pacific in observations and in two isotope-enabled climate models. A comparison of δ18Osw-salinity relationships derived from short-term spatial surveys and multi-year time series at Papua New Guinea and Galápagos suggests spatial relationships can be substituted for temporal relationships at these sites, at least within the time period of the investigation. However, the δ18Osw-salinity relationship varied temporally at Palau, likely in response to water mass changes associated with interannual El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, suggesting nonstationarity in this local δ18Osw-salinity relationship. Applying local δ18Osw-salinity relationships in a coral δ18O forward model shows that using a constant, basin-wide δ18Osw-salinity slope can both overestimate and underestimate the contribution of δ18Osw to carbonate δ18O variance at individual sites in the western tropical Pacific.

Linear correlations in bamboo coral δ13C and δ18O sampled by SIMS and micromill: Evaluating paleoceanographic potential and biomineralization mechanisms using δ11B and ∆47 composition

Bamboo corals represent an intriguing paleoceanographic archive with the potential to reconstruct variations throughout the water column over multiple centuries. Realizing this potential partially depends on if, and at what resolution, timeseries of variability can be generated. Recent work demonstrates that bamboo coral growth temperature, averaged over its entire lifespan, can be derived from linear correlations in its carbon and oxygen isotope composition (δ13C, δ18O) when the apparent equilibrium fractionations for a coral's growth rate and calcifying pH are used. Building on this method, this study applies it to coeval coral skeleton to assess the possibility of extracting paleoceanographic timeseries from bamboo coral skeletons. Using boron isotope (δ11B) based pH estimates, micromilled samples yield accurate paleotemperatures with uncertainties of <2°C, whose precision could be improved to <1°C if additional sampling yielded more robust regressions. This provides strong evidence that decadal-scale temperature reconstructions may be extracted from bamboo corals. Complementary SIMS data generated at annual to inter-annual resolution often yield accurate temperatures, but with greater uncertainty that is always >2°C. This is attributed to the inability to measure δ13C and δ18O in exactly the same skeleton, as is the case for micromilled samples. A micromilled sampling strategy is therefore likely the most practical means of applying the method. Carbonate clumped isotopes (∆47) estimate temperatures slightly warmer than observed, suggesting they may not accurately record the subtle variations of the latest Holocene. When interpreted in conjunction, δ18O, δ11B and ∆47 data suggest that pH up-regulation plays a role in generating linear δ13C-δ18O trends. However, oxygen isotope fractionation and ∆47 are lower than would be predicted by pH alone. Potential explanations for this discrepancy include biological processes that favor the incorporation of carbonate ion into coral skeleton, uncertainties in the δ11B-pH proxy, the influence of magnesium on calcite-fluid isotope fractionation, or uncertainties in the fractionation factors used to calculate apparent equilibrium. Despite some remaining uncertainties, the method can resolve many observed decadal-scale thermocline temperature anomalies, suggesting that appropriately located bamboo corals could help constrain the behavior of similar temporal variability prior to instrumental monitoring.

SPCZ zonal events and downstream influence on surface ocean conditions in the Indonesian Throughflow region

AbstractSeasonal surface freshening of the Makassar Strait, the main conduit of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), is a key factor controlling the ITF. Here we present a 262 year reconstruction of seasonal sea‐surface‐salinity variability from 1742 to 2004 Common Era by using coral δ18O records from the central Makassar Strait. Our record reveals persistent seasonal freshening and also years with significant truncations of seasonal freshening that correlate exactly with South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) zonal events &gt;4000 km to the east. During these events, the SPCZ dramatically rotates ~15° north to near the equator and stronger westward flowing South Pacific boundary currents force higher‐salinity water through the Makassar Strait in February–May halting the normal seasonal freshening in the strait. By these teleconnections, our Makassar coral δ18O series provides the first record of the recurrence interval of these zonal SPCZ events and demonstrates that they have occurred on a semiregular basis since the mid‐1700s.

Refining temperature reconstructions with the Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea

Developing coral-based temperature reconstructions for a particular coral species requires determining the optimal sampling path orientation and resolution for geochemical analysis to avoid sampling artifacts and to increase reproducibility. Furthermore, a robust coral archive should have high intracolony and intercolony reproducibility for determining the common environmental signal. Here we assessed sampling path orientation and sampling resolution for Siderastrea siderea colonies within the Dry Tortugas National Park in the Gulf of Mexico (24°42′N, 82°48′W) to determine the optimal sampling protocol and to assess reproducibility of coral Sr/Ca, δ18O, and δ13C. We identified a sampling artifact due to extracting samples from the coral columella resulting in cold bias up to 5.2°C in coral Sr/Ca. We found no shift to higher coral Sr/Ca values (i.e., colder) for years with a 50% reduction in average extension rate (2.1mmyear−1) or for sampling along paths up to 70° off the vertical axis of the colony. Our sampling resolution comparison (1900–1993) indicated that the resolution of ~6 samples year−1 used in a previous study for coral Sr/Ca and δ18O may not capture seasonal extremes and thus produces muted seasonal cycles, but that resolution is not biased towards one season. Reproducibility or average deviations, assessed using absolute differences (AD) and root mean square (RMS), among the monthly resolved coral Sr/Ca records for intracolony to intercolony comparisons were within 2σ of our analytical precisions. Average deviations were reduced by 19 to 61% when assessing interannual variability (36-month smoothed and mean annual) suggesting that subannual dating uncertainties (i.e., assigning a coral Sr/Ca value to a particular month) were the largest source of error in our monthly resolved coral Sr/Ca reconstruction. Similarly, coral δ18O was reproducible within 2σ of our analytical precision (AD=0.10‰ and RMS=0.07‰); however, coral δ13C and linear extension records were not reproducible. Our assessment of coral geochemical variations from multiple S. siderea colonies suggests this species is suitable for paleoclimatic reconstructions, including subfossil corals and microatoll colonies that grow laterally.