Reconstruction of deglacial sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific from selective analysis of a fossil coral

N. Allison; A. A. Finch; A. W. Tudhope; M. Newville; S. R. Sutton; R. M. Ellam

doi:10.1029/2005GL023183

Reconstruction of deglacial sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific from selective analysis of a fossil coral

N. Allison, A. A. Finch, A. W. Tudhope, M. Newville, S. R. Sutton, R. M. Ellam

School of Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The Sr/Ca of coral skeletons demonstrates potential as an indicator of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, the glacial-interglacial SST ranges predicted from Sr/Ca of fossil corals are usually higher than from other marine proxies. We observed infilling of secondary aragonite, characterised by high Sr/Ca ratios, along intraskeletal pores of a fossil coral from Papua New Guinea that grew during the penultimate deglaciation (130 ± 2 ka). Selective microanalysis of unaltered areas of the fossil coral indicates that SSTs at ∼130 ka were ≤1°C cooler than at present in contrast with bulk measurements (combining infilled and unaltered areas) which indicate a difference of 6–7°C. The analysis of unaltered areas of fossil skeletons by microprobe techniques may offer a route to more accurate reconstruction of past SSTs.

Original language	English
Article number	L17609
Pages (from-to)	1-4
Number of pages	4
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	32
Issue number	17
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023183
Publication status	Published - 1 Sep 2005

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Published in Geophysical Research Letters by the American Geophysical Union (2005)
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title = "Reconstruction of deglacial sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific from selective analysis of a fossil coral",

abstract = "The Sr/Ca of coral skeletons demonstrates potential as an indicator of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, the glacial-interglacial SST ranges predicted from Sr/Ca of fossil corals are usually higher than from other marine proxies. We observed infilling of secondary aragonite, characterised by high Sr/Ca ratios, along intraskeletal pores of a fossil coral from Papua New Guinea that grew during the penultimate deglaciation (130 ± 2 ka). Selective microanalysis of unaltered areas of the fossil coral indicates that SSTs at ∼130 ka were ≤1°C cooler than at present in contrast with bulk measurements (combining infilled and unaltered areas) which indicate a difference of 6–7°C. The analysis of unaltered areas of fossil skeletons by microprobe techniques may offer a route to more accurate reconstruction of past SSTs.",

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AU - Allison, N.

AU - Finch, A. A.

AU - Tudhope, A. W.

AU - Newville, M.

AU - Sutton, S. R.

AU - Ellam, R. M.

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N2 - The Sr/Ca of coral skeletons demonstrates potential as an indicator of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, the glacial-interglacial SST ranges predicted from Sr/Ca of fossil corals are usually higher than from other marine proxies. We observed infilling of secondary aragonite, characterised by high Sr/Ca ratios, along intraskeletal pores of a fossil coral from Papua New Guinea that grew during the penultimate deglaciation (130 ± 2 ka). Selective microanalysis of unaltered areas of the fossil coral indicates that SSTs at ∼130 ka were ≤1°C cooler than at present in contrast with bulk measurements (combining infilled and unaltered areas) which indicate a difference of 6–7°C. The analysis of unaltered areas of fossil skeletons by microprobe techniques may offer a route to more accurate reconstruction of past SSTs.

AB - The Sr/Ca of coral skeletons demonstrates potential as an indicator of sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, the glacial-interglacial SST ranges predicted from Sr/Ca of fossil corals are usually higher than from other marine proxies. We observed infilling of secondary aragonite, characterised by high Sr/Ca ratios, along intraskeletal pores of a fossil coral from Papua New Guinea that grew during the penultimate deglaciation (130 ± 2 ka). Selective microanalysis of unaltered areas of the fossil coral indicates that SSTs at ∼130 ka were ≤1°C cooler than at present in contrast with bulk measurements (combining infilled and unaltered areas) which indicate a difference of 6–7°C. The analysis of unaltered areas of fossil skeletons by microprobe techniques may offer a route to more accurate reconstruction of past SSTs.

U2 - 10.1029/2005GL023183

DO - 10.1029/2005GL023183

M3 - Article

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SN - 0094-8276

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ER -

Reconstruction of deglacial sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific from selective analysis of a fossil coral

Abstract

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