Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
Volume 120, Issue 1, Pages 405-416Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2014JC010390
Keywords
coral; trace metals; Mn; Cu; V; PDO; EASM; South China Sea
Categories
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2013CB956103]
- National Natural Sciences Foundation of China [41325012, 41076025]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Geochemical cycles of trace metals are important influences on the composition and function of the marine ecosystem. Although spatial distributions of most trace metals have now been determined in at least some parts of the oceans, temporal variations have barely been studied on account of data limitations. In this paper, we report on a 159 year record of trace metal concentrations from a Porites coral from the northern South China Sea (SCS), and discuss how oceanic and climatic processes control variations in Mn, Cu, and V concentrations in this region. Our results show that trace metal concentrations in the coral skeleton demonstrate decadal to interdecadal fluctuations, and that their variations are controlled by different mechanisms. The input of Mn to reef water is partly controlled by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which controls precipitation and river runoff. Surface water concentrations of the nutrient-like element Cu are controlled by summer upwelling to the east of Hainan Island. The concentrations of V show complex interrelationships, and are linked to riverine input prior to the 1990 and to upwelling after the 1990. Our results imply that in the northern SCS, ocean-atmosphere climate fluctuations, such as the PDO and the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM), are important factors that influence long-term variability of Mn, Cu, and V concentrations in seawater, by controlling precipitation-related river runoff and the strength of upwelling systems.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available