Yucatan coral growth rate-based SST since 1775 Vásquez-Bedoya, L.F.; Cohen, A.L.; Oppo, D.W.; Blanchon, P. Vásquez-Bedoya, L.F. Cohen, A.L. Oppo, D.W. Blanchon, P. Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction earth science/paleoclimate/corals and sclerosponges (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,corals and sclerosponges,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/corals and sclerosponges (extension rate,Siderastrea siderea,null,millimeter per year,null,corals and sclerosponges,anomalized|averaged,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/corals and sclerosponges (Puerto Morelos Reef Park and Punta Maroma>LATITUDE 20.83>LONGITUDE -86.74) Accurate low-latitude sea surface temperature (SST) records that predate the instrumental era are needed to put recent warming in the context of natural climate variability, and to evaluate the persistence of lower frequency climate variability prior to the instrumental era and the possible influence of anthropogenic climate change on this variability. Here we present a 235-year long SST reconstruction based on annual growth rates (linear extension) of three colonies of the Atlantic coral Siderastrea siderea sampled at two sites on the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, located within the Atlantic Warm Pool (AWP). AWP SSTs vary in concert the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), a basin-wide, quasi-periodic (~60-80 years) oscillation of North Atlantic SSTs. We demonstrate that the annual linear growth rates of all three coral colonies are significantly inversely correlated with SST. We calibrate annual linear growth rates to SST between 1900 and 1960 AD. The linear correlation coefficient over the calibration period is r = -0.77, and -0.66 over the instrumental record (1860-2008 AD). We apply our calibration to annual linear growth rates to extend the SST record to 1775AD and show that multi-decadal SST variability has been a persistent feature of the AWP, and likely, of the North Atlantic over this time period. Our results imply that tropical Atlantic SSTs remained within 1 °C of modern values during the past 225 years, consistent with a previous reconstruction based on coral growth rates and with most estimates based on the Mg/Ca of planktonic foraminifera from marine sediments. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Vásquez-Bedoya, L.F. Investigator : Cohen, A.L. Investigator : Oppo, D.W. Investigator : Blanchon, P. 2012-09-12 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/13284 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.xls English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/13284 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/caribbean/vasquez-bedoya2012.xls Vásquez-Bedoya, L.F., A.L. Cohen, D.W. Oppo and P. Blanchon2012Corals Record Persistent Multidecadal SST Variability in the Atlantic Warm Pool since 1775ADPaleoceanography27PA323110.1029/2012PA002313 START YEAR: 1775 AD * END YEAR: 2009 AD -86.74 20.83 -86.74 20.83