Non-heterogenous oxygen isotopic distribution in coral microstructures

Abstract

Massive corals have been widely used as proxies for past changes in sea surface temperature (SST) of the tropical and subtropical oceans because the oxygen isotopic and strontium/calcium (Sr/Ca) ratios of their aragonitic skeletons are believed to vary as a function of the temperature of the ambient seawater. However, recent microanalytical studies using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have revealed large chemical heterogeneities for Sr/Ca and oxygen isotopic ratios in coral skeleton, which cannot be explained by temperature variation (e.g. Meibom et al., 2004, Rollin-Bard, et al., 2003)