On the relationship between coral δ 13 C and Caribbean climate
A coral ( Orbicella faveolata ) δ 13 C isotope ratio record off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico is used to indicate regional ocean–atmosphere conditions over the 20th century. The coral δ 13 C record is correlated positively with North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and local evaporation....
| Published in: | International Journal of Climatology |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/joc.5772 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjoc.5772 https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/joc.5772 |
| Summary: | A coral ( Orbicella faveolata ) δ 13 C isotope ratio record off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico is used to indicate regional ocean–atmosphere conditions over the 20th century. The coral δ 13 C record is correlated positively with North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and local evaporation. Spatial correlation maps show a broad area of influence by SST, sea‐level pressure and evaporation to the northeast of Puerto Rico. The composite maps reflect a strengthening of the North Atlantic anticyclone and east Pacific counter‐currents during years of enhanced coral growth. The coral δ 13 C record presented here corresponds with a local cloud cover increase of ~10% in parallel with a 0.5 °C rise of local SST since 1900. Environmental conditions tend to lead coral growth in a knock‐on effect as seen in local SST, cloud cover and evaporation data. The coral community may thus be a sentinel of both multi‐year fluctuations and centennial trends in Central Caribbean climate. |
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