Brad Linsley 2000/11 World Data Center for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution Series 2000-065 Boulder World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, Boulder A 271 year record of Sr/Ca variability in a coral from Rarotonga in the South Pacific gyre. Calibration with monthly sea surface temperature (SST) from satellite and ship measurements made in grid measuring 1° by 1° over the period from 1981 to 1997 indicates that this Sr/Ca record is an excellent proxy for SST. Comparison with SST from ship measurements made since 1950 in a grid measuring 5° by 5° also shows that the Sr/Ca data accurately record decadal changes in SST. The entire Sr/Ca record back to 1726 shows a distinct pattern of decadal variability with repeated decadal and interdecadal SST regime shifts greater than 0.75°C. Comparison with decadal climate variability in the North Pacific as represented by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation index (1900-1997) indicates that several of the largest decadal-scale SST variations at Rarotonga are coherent with SST regime shifts in the North Pacific. This hemispheric symmetry suggests that tropical forcing may be an important factor in at least some of the decadal variability observed in the Pacific Ocean. Paleoclimatic Research G2083 National Geophysical Data Center http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/corals.html 1 1726 1997 Publication Date Complete None Planned -159.82 -159.82 -21.23 -21.23 CoRIS Theme Keywords Version 1.0 EARTH SCIENCE > Paleoclimate > Coral Records > Sr/Ca EARTH SCIENCE > Paleoclimate > Coral Records > temperature EARTH SCIENCE > Paleoclimate > Coral Records > calibration Numeric Data Sets > Paleoclimatology CoRIS Place Keywords Version 1.0 OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > South Pacific Ocean > Southern Cook Islands > Rarotonga (21S159W0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Cook Islands > Rarotonga > Rarotonga (21S159W0001) CoRIS Temporal Keywords Version 1.0 Holocene, Modern None PLEASE CITE ORIGINAL REFERENCE WHEN USING THIS DATA Linsley, B.K., G.M. Wellington, and D.P. Schrag, 2000, Decadal Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Sub-Tropical South Pacific from 1726 to 1997 A.D., Science v.290, pp1145-1148, 10 Nov 2000. coral variable coral variable coral variable del18O delta 18O (per mil) relative to PDB Craig, H., 1957. Isotopic standards for mass spectrometric analysis of carbon dioxide. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 12:113-140 unknown unknown per mil 0.01 SST Sea Surface Temperature unknown unknown unknown degree C 0.1 SrCa Sr/Ca Ratio Beck, J. W., R. L. Edwards, E. Ito, F. Taylor, J. Recy, F. Rougerie, P. Joannot, and C. Henin, 1992, Sea surface temperature from coral strotium/calcium ratios: Science, v. 257, p. 644-647; DeVilliers, S., G. T. Shen, and B. K. Nelson, 1994, Sr/Ca paleothermometry in corals: method calibration and evaluation of Sr/Ca (seawater) and interspecies variability: Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, v. 58, p. 197-208. unknown unknown ratio 1.0 SrCaSST-ave8 Sr/Ca Ratio with Sea Surface Temperature Correlation averaged over 8 years Linsley, B.K., G.M. Wellington, and D.P. Schrag, 2000, Decadal Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Sub-Tropical South Pacific from 1726 to 1997 A.D., Science v.290, pp1145-1148, 10 Nov 2000. unknown unknown unknown 0.01 NOAA Paleoclimatology Program Bruce Bauer Data Manager Mailing Address

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Boulder CO 80305-3328 U.S.A. (303) 497-6160 (303) 497-6958 (303) 497-6513 paleo@ngdc.noaa.gov 9-5 MST Monday-Friday Disclaimer- While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. ASCII ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/coral/east_pacific/rarotonga_2000b.txt ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/coral/east_pacific/rarotonga_2000b.xml Data can be obtained from http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo and via anonymous ftp to ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov. Diskette and paper copies may be obtained by mail. Diskette cpio On-line data are available free of charge, other forms are available for the cost of reproduction Contact the Data Center to order paper copies of data 4 days 20010816 NOAA Paleoclimatology Program Carissa Carter c/o Data Manager Mailing Address

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Boulder Colorado 80305-3328 United States (303) 497-6160 (303) 497-6958 (303) 497-6513 carissa.l.carter@noaa.gov FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata FGDC-STD-001-1998 No Constraints No Constraints 3836 162 1000000161 20011113 20011218