Temperature and surface-ocean water balance of the mid-holocene tropical western Pacific

Journal Article · Thu Feb 12 23:00:00 EST 1998 · Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.279.5353.1014· OSTI ID:621410

Gagan, M K; Ayliffe, K K; Cali, J A ^[1]

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1. Australian National Univ., Canberra (Australia); and others

Skeletal Sr/Ca and {sup 18}O/{sup 16}O ratios in corals from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, indicate that the tropical ocean surface {approx} 5350 years ago was 1{degree}C warmer and enriched in {sup 18}O by 0.5 per mil relative to modern seawater. The results suggest that the temperature increase enhanced the evaporative enrichment of {sup 18}O in seawater. Transport of part of the additional atmospheric water vapor to extratropical latitudes may have sustained the {sup 18}O/{sup 16}O anomaly. The reduced glacial-Holocene shift in seawater {sup 18}O/{sup 16}O ratio produced by the mid-Holocene {sup 18}O enrichment may help to reconcile the different temperature histories for the last deglaciation given by coral Sr/Ca thermometry and foraminiferal oxygen-isotope records. 37 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

• OSTI ID: 621410
• Journal Information: Science, Journal Name: Science Journal Issue: 5353 Vol. 279; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
AIR-WATER INTERACTIONS
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
GEOTHERMOMETERS
ISOTOPE RATIO
OXYGEN
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
SURFACE WATERS