Monitoring climate variability over the past 116 years in coral oxygen isotopes from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia (original) (raw)

Abstract

116-year record of coral skeletal δ18O is presented from a colony of Porites lutea from Ningaloo Reef, western Australia. Interannual variability of sea-surface temperatures (SST) inferred from skeletal δ18O is dominated by a 9.5-year period, and may constitute a characteristic signal of the Leeuwin Current. On long-terms coral skeletal δ18O indicates a near-continuous increase of SST at Ningaloo Reef over one century. The skeletal δ18O time series was checked for the presence of seasonal cooling events resulting from major volcanic eruptions. An ∼1 °C cooling is evident following the eruption of Pinatubo in 1991, which reproduces the results of previous investigations. However, only weak or no signals can be related to the eruptions of Krakatau (1883) and Agung (1963).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität Bremen, Postfach 330440, D-28334 Bremen, Germany e-mail: hkuhnert@uni-bremen.de Tel.: +49-421-2187769 Fax: +49-421-2183116, , , , , , DE
    H. Kuhnert, J. Pätzold & G. Wefer
  2. Department of Geography and Tectonics Special Research Centre, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Western Australia, AUS-6009 Nedlands, W.A., Australia, , , , , , AU
    K. -H. Wyrwoll

Authors

  1. H. Kuhnert
  2. J. Pätzold
  3. K. -H. Wyrwoll
  4. G. Wefer

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Received: 9 November 1998 / Accepted: 12 April 1999

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Kuhnert, H., Pätzold, J., Wyrwoll, KH. et al. Monitoring climate variability over the past 116 years in coral oxygen isotopes from Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.Int Journ Earth Sciences 88, 725–732 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s005310050300

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