Tropical climate variability and the influence of environmental stressors as recorded in Orbicella and Siderastrea coral skeletons from Belize

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Eberhard Gischler
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 468437906

In this project, we aim at systematically analyzing coral archives from Belize barrier and atoll reefs, the largest reef system in the Atlantic, with a multi-proxy approach. We will analyze 18O and Sr/Ca at high resolution in six existing cores from various reef environments and combine geochemical with sclerochronological data (extension rate, density, calcification rate) covering the 19th and 20th century. We will compare these data with environmental parameters, gridded instrumental climate data, and expressions of climate modes including the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). With this approach, we will be able to contribute to the central scientific question of SPP 2299 of deciphering the interaction between global climate change and modes of tropical climate variability and their combined influence on reef ecosystems in a warming world. Also, we will be able to provide answers to overarching questions as to how rising SSTs and ocean acidification interact with local stressors in this major Atlantic coral reef area.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2299: Tropical Climate Variability and Coral Reefs. A Past to Future Perspective on Current Rates of Change at Ultra-High Resolution
• International Connection: USA
• Co-Investigator: Privatdozent Dr. Michael Deveaux
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Harold Hudson