Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Radiocarbon In Corals From The Cocos (Keeling) Islands And Implications For Indian Ocean Circulation, Q Hua, Colin D. Woodroffe, Scott Smithers, M Barbetti, David Fink

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Annual bands of a Porites coral from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, eastern Indian Ocean, were analysed by radiocarbon for 1955–1985 AD. A rapid oceanic response of the site to bomb 14C is found, with a maximum D14C value of 132% in 1975. This value is considerably higher than those for the northwestern Indian Ocean, suggesting that surface waters reaching Cocos are not derived from the Arabian Sea. Instead, D14C values for Cocos and those for Watamu (Kenya) agree well over most of the study interval, suggesting that the South Equatorial Current carries 14C-elevated water rather than 14C-depleted water westward across …