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Coral-Based Climate Variability In The Western Pacific Warm Pool Since 1867, Terrence M. Quinn, Frederick W. Taylor, Thomas J. Crowley

Marine Science Faculty Publications

We have generated monthly resolved, stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and Sr/Ca time series from a massive Porites coral from Rabaul (4°S, 152°E): a site located in the warmest sector of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP). The coral δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca time series are well correlated to each other and positive excursions in both records coincide with times of ENSO warm phase events. These time series contain abundant interannual variability that exhibits the well‐recognized pattern of low amplitude ENSO variation between ∼1920–1960 and high amplitude ENSO variation between 1880–1920 and 1960–1997. The …