Year: 2000
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Coral records from coastal East Africa spanning \n2° to 7°S (Kiwayu, Malindi, Watamu, Mombasa, \nKisite, and Mafia) demonstrate that isotopic tracers preserved \nwithin coral aragonite accurately record \nintraseasonal to interannual changes in sea surface temperature. \nThe strong seasonal signal observed at all six \nsites most likely reflects sea surface temperature variability \nforced by ocean circulation and reversals in wind \ndirection associated with the Indo-African Monsoon. \nStrong southwesterly winds during the Southwest Monsoon \ninitiate evaporative cooling and mixing, resulting in \na sea surface temperature minimum in the late boreal \nsummer. Coral δ180 values are higher during this period. \nReproducibility in the coral δ180 signal between sites indicates \nthat an individual coral isotope records from the \ncoast of East Africa can be used to reconstruct regional \nclimatic conditions. We present the first multisite analysis \nof sea surface temperature variability along the East African \ncoast as recorded in the isotopic composition of reef \ncorals.
Authors: Grumet, N.S., Dunbar, R.B., Cole, J.E.
Institutions: Stanford University, University of Arizona
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
Awards: Diciphering the Ocean's Influence on East African Climate using Multicentury, Multivariate Coral Records, Diciphering the Ocean's Influence on East African Climate using Multicentury, Multivariate Coral Records, Deciphering the Ocean's Influence on East African Climate Using Multicentury, Multivariate Coral Records
OpenAlex ID: W2149478462