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Decade-Scale Trend In Sea Water Salinity Revealed Through Δ18o Analysis Of Montastraea Annularis Annual Growth Bands, Robert B. Halley, Peter Koenraad Swart, Richard E. Dodge, Harold J. Hudson

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Stable oxygen isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O) of coral skeletons are influenced by ambient water temperature and by the oxygen isotope ratio in the surrounding sea water, which, in turn, is linked to evaporation (salinity) and precipitation. To investigate this relationship more thoroughly, we collected hourly temperature data from the Hen and Chickens Reef in the Florida Keys between 1975 and 1988 and compared them to the δ¹⁸O of Montastraea annularis skeleton that grew during the same interval. To ensure that we obtained the correct oxygen isotopic range in the skeleton we typically sampled the coral at a …