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Meibom, A., Stage, M., Wooden, J., Constantz, B.R., Dunbar, R.B., Owen, A., Grumet, N., Bacon, C.R. and Chamberlain, C.P. (2003). Monthly Strontium/Calcium oscillations in symbiotic coral aragonite: Biological effects limiting the precision of the paleotemperature proxy. Geophysical Research Letters 30: doi: 10.1029/2002GL016864. issn: 0094-8276. |
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In thermodynamic equilibrium with sea water the Sr/Ca ratio of aragonite varies predictably with temperature and the Sr/Ca ratio in coral have thus become a frequently used proxy for past Sea Surface Temperature (SST). However, biological effects can offset the Sr/Ca ratio from its equilibrium value. We report high spatial resolution ion microprobe analyses of well defined skeletal elements in the reef-building coral Porites lutea that reveal distinct monthly oscillations in the Sr/Ca ratio, with an amplitude in excess of ten percent. The extreme Sr/Ca variations, which we propose result from metabolic changes synchronous with the lunar cycle, introduce variability in Sr/Ca measurements based on conventional sampling techniques well beyond the analytical precision. These variations can limit the accuracy of Sr/Ca paleothermometry by conventional sampling techniques to about 2¿C. Our results may help explain the notorious difficulties involved in obtaining an accurate and consistent calibration of the Sr/Ca vs. SST relationship. |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Oceanography, General, Climate and interannual variability, Oceanography, General, Paleoceanography, Mineralogy and Petrology, Crystal chemistry, Oceanography, Biological and Chemical, Geochemistry, Oceanography, General, Instruments and techniques |
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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