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Climatic trends and interdecadal variability from south‐central Pacific coral records
Author(s) -
Boiseau Muriel,
Ghil Michael,
JuilletLeclerc Anne
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/1999gl900595
Subject(s) - climatology , pacific decadal oscillation , sea surface temperature , precipitation , porites , coral , cloud cover , environmental science , el niño southern oscillation , oceanography , geology , secular variation , teleconnection , geography , meteorology , cloud computing , computer science , operating system , geophysics
We study climate variability over interdecadal time scales from δ 13 C and δ 18 O records, measured in a Porites lutea coral core drilled in the Moorea lagoon. Previously, we demonstrated that the annual δ 18 O variations reflect those in sea‐surface temperature (SST), while the annual δ 13 C variations record primarily cloud‐cover changes. We apply two distinct spectral analysis methods to the δ 13 C and δ 18 O time series from 1853 to 1989. Our analysis of the δ 18 O record shows a secular warming trend and a 35‐year oscillation in temperatures over the last 137 years. A trend and a 34‐year cycle are also found in the δ 13 C record. The latter trend may be caused by either anthropogenic effects or a cloud‐cover increase in this region of the Pacific Ocean, while the interdecadal oscillation appears to be related to changes in cloud cover, as well as in precipitation.