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Variations in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation since 1853 in a coral record from the northern South China Sea
Author(s) -
Deng Wenfeng,
Wei Gangjian,
Xie Luhua,
Ke Ting,
Wang Zhibing,
Zeng Ti,
Liu Ying
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/jgrc.20180
Subject(s) - pacific decadal oscillation , coral , oceanography , surface runoff , pacific basin , pacific ocean , environmental science , climatology , china , geology , geography , ecology , archaeology , biology
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has been shown to have significant climatic and environmental impacts across the Pan‐Pacific Basin; however, there are no records of PDO activity from the South China Sea (SCS), the largest marginal sea in the northwest Pacific Ocean. This study suggests that a series of geochemical profiles obtained from a modern coral in the northern SCS records annual PDO activity dating back to 1853. These geochemical data are significantly correlated with the PDO index, and their patterns of variation closely match those of the PDO index over the last century. The relationship between the PDO and coral geochemistry may be related to the influence of the PDO on rainfall on Hainan Island. Rainfall patterns influence the volume of terrestrial runoff, which, in turn, is a primary determinant of δ 18 O and Δδ 18 O values in coral; however, coral δ 13 C values are also influenced by the 13 C Suess effect. The results indicate that Sr/Ca ratios in coral are affected by a combination of sea surface temperature and terrestrial runoff.