Slow-growing Reef Corals As Climate Archives: A Case Study of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum 40 Ma Ago

Overview

Journal Sci Adv

Specialties Biology
Science

Date 2022 May 20

PMID 35594346

Authors

Thomas C Brachert

Thomas Felis

Cyril Gagnaison

Marlene Hoehle

Markus Reuter

Philipp M Spreter

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The skeletons of stony corals on tropical shallow-water reefs are high-resolution climate archives. However, their systematic use for unlocking climate dynamics of the geologic past is limited by the susceptibility of the porous aragonite skeleton to diagenetic alterations. Here, we present oxygen and carbon isotope time series (monthly resolution) from reef corals with an unusual unaltered preservation from the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) "hyperthermal" (40 million years ago). Annual extension of the corals at the studied midlatitude site (France) was remarkably low (0.2 cm). Nonetheless, isotope signatures display no evidence for kinetic disequilibria that discredit their use as climate archive, but growth rate-dependent annual signal amplitude attenuations need corrections using an innovative sampling approach. Thereafter, we present evidence of symbiotic zooxanthellae in reef corals of the Paleogene and subdued sea surface temperature seasonality of only 7° to 8°C during the MECO, consistent with the globally equant climate of the hothouse.

Citing Articles

Light Limitation of Poleward Coral Reef Expansion During Past Warm Climates.

Kruijt A, Brachert T, Sluijs A, Middelburg J Geophys Res Lett. 2024; 51(22):e2024GL111757.

PMID: 39582585 PMC: 11579961. DOI: 10.1029/2024GL111757.

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