Sri Yudawati Cahyarini

Pronounced interannual variability in tropical South Pacific temperatures during Heinrich Stadial 1

The early last glacial termination was characterized by intense North Atlantic cooling and weak overturning circulation. This interval between ~18,000 and 14,600 years ago, known as Heinrich Stadial 1, was accompanied by a disruption of global climate and has been suggested as a key factor for the termination. However, the response of interannual climate variability in the tropical Pacific (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) to Heinrich Stadial 1 is poorly understood. Here we use Sr/Ca in a fossil Tahiti coral to reconstruct tropical South Pacific sea surface temperature around 15,000 years ago at monthly resolution. Unlike today, interannual South Pacific sea surface temperature variability at typical El Niño-Southern Oscillation periods was pronounced at Tahiti. Our results indicate that the El Niño-Southern Oscillation was active during Heinrich Stadial 1, consistent with climate model simulations of enhanced El Niño-Southern Oscillation variability at that time. Furthermore, a greater El Niño-Southern Oscillation influence in the South Pacific during Heinrich Stadial 1 is suggested, resulting from a southward expansion or shift of El Niño-Southern Oscillation sea surface temperature anomalies.

Twentieth century sea surface temperature and salinity variations at Timor inferred from paired coral δ18O and Sr/Ca measurements

The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), which represents the global ocean circulation connecting the Pacific Warm Pool to the Indian Ocean, strongly influences the Indo-Pacific climate. ITF monitoring since the late 1990s using mooring buoys have provided insights on seasonal and interannual time scales. However, the absence of longer records limits our perspective on its evolution over the past century. Here, we present sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) proxy records from Timor Island located at the ITF exit passage via paired coral δ18O and Sr/Ca measurements spanning the period 1914–2004. These high-resolution proxy based climate data of the last century highlights improvements and cautions when interpreting paleoclimate records of the Indonesian region. If the seasonality of SST and SSS is not perfectly in phase, the application of coral Sr/Ca thermometry improves SST reconstructions compared to estimates based on coral δ18O only. Our records also underline the importance of ocean advection besides rainfall on local SSS in the region. Although the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) causes larger anomalies relative to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Timor coral-based SST and SSS records robustly correlate with IOD on interannual time scales, whereas ENSO only modifies Timor SST. Similarly, Timor SST and SSS are strongly linked to Indian Ocean decadal-scale variations that appear to lead Timor oceanographic conditions by about 1.6–2 years. Our study sheds new light on the complex signatures of Indo-Pacific climate modes on SST and SSS dynamics of the ITF.

Comment on “A snapshot of climate variability at Tahiti at 9.5 ka using a fossil coral from IODP Expedition 310” by Kristine L. DeLong, Terrence M. Quinn, Chuan‐Chou Shen, and Ke Lin

[1] The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 310 recovered drill cores from the drowned reefs around the island of Tahiti (17°40′S, 149°30′W), many of which contained samples of massive corals from the genus Porites. Herein we report on one well-preserved fossil coral sample: a 13.6 cm long Porites sp. dated by uranium series techniques at 9523 ± 33 years. Monthly δ18O and Sr/Ca determinations reveal nine clear and robust annual cycles. Coral δ18O and Sr/Ca determinations estimate a mean temperature of ∼24.3°C (∼3.2°C colder than modern) for Tahiti at 9.5 ka; however, this estimate is viewed with caution since potential sources of cold bias in coral geochemistry remain to be resolved. The interannual variability in coral δ18O is similar between the 9.5 ka coral record and a modern record from nearby Moorea. The seasonal cycle in coral Sr/Ca is approximately the same or greater in the 9.5 ka coral record than in modern coral records from Tahiti. Paired analysis of coral δ18O and Sr/Ca indicates cold/wet (warm/dry) interannual anomalies, opposite from those observed in the modern instrumental record.

Coral Sr/Ca-based sea surface temperature and air temperature variability from the inshore and offshore corals in the Seribu Islands, Indonesia

The ability of massive Porites corals to faithfully record temperature is assessed. Porites corals from Kepulauan Seribu were sampled from one inshore and one offshore site and analyzed for their Sr/Ca variation. The results show that Sr/Ca of the offshore coral tracked SST, while Sr/Ca variation of the inshore coral tracked ambient air temperature. In particular, the inshore SST variation is related to air temperature anomalies of the urban center of Jakarta. The latter we relate to air-sea interactions modifying inshore SST associated with the land-sea breeze mechanism and/or monsoonal circulation. The correlation pattern of monthly coral Sr/Ca with the Niño3.4 index and SEIO-SST reveals that corals in the Seribu islands region respond differently to remote forcing. An opposite response is observed for inshore and offshore corals in response to El Niño onset, yet similar to El Niño mature phase (December to February). SEIO SSTs co-vary strongly with SST and air temperature variability across the Seribu island reef complex. The results of this study clearly indicate that locations of coral proxy record in Indonesia need to be chosen carefully in order to identify the seasonal climate response to local and remote climate and anthropogenic forcing.

Reef Carbonate Productivity During Quaternary Sea Level Oscillations

Global variations in reef productivity during the Quaternary depend on external parameters that may alter the global chemical balance in the oceans and atmosphere. We designed a numerical model that simulates reef growth, erosion, and sedimentation on coastlines undergoing sea level oscillations, and uplift or subsidence. We further develop a probabilistic evaluation that accounts for variable vertical ground motion, erosion, and foundation morphologies.

The effect of changes in sea surface temperature on linear growth of Porites coral in Ambon Bay

Absolute

Reconstructing seawater δ18O from paired coral δ18O and Sr/Ca ratios : Methods, error analysis and problems, with examples from Tahiti (French Polynesia) and Timor (Indonesia)

sea level change appears primordial, as productivity must have increased by an order of magnitude since the onset of the glacial cycles, ∼2.6 Ma. But most important is

Improving SST reconstructions from coral Sr/Ca records: multiple corals from Tahiti (French Polynesia)

relative

Depositional modes and lake-level variability at Lake Towuti, Indonesia, during the past ~29 kyr BP

sea level change, i.e., eustasy modulated by uplift or subsidence, that rejuvenates the accommodation space and exposes pristine domains of the shore to active reefs at each cycle. Integrated over the long‐term, vertical land motion sets the pace of reef growth: productivity in tectonically unstable domains is thus expected to be up to 10 times higher than in stable regions, if any. We quantify the global length of reef coasts and the probability density functions for slopes and uplift rates.Productivity waxes during transgressions to reach 2–8 Gt CaCO

Annual growth band analysis of Porites corals: case study Seribu Islands corals, Indonesia

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