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Authors
Affiliations
1 Birbal Sahni institute of Pdaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow 226 007, IN
Source
Journal of Geological Society of India (Online archive from Vol 1 to Vol 78), Vol 68, No Spl Iss 3 (2006), Pagination: 395-405
Abstract
The oxygen isotopic composition of scelactinian corals has been shown to be a reliable indicator of the surface ocean and atmospheric conditions and variabilities. In the equatorial Indian Ocean cord records track the movement of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and strongly respond to the El Niiio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variabilities of the equatorial Pacific. Corals from the Arabian Sea seem to respond both to the Indian monsoon precipitation as well as to ENSO. However, those from the extreme northern Red Sea appear to be controlled by the Middle East climate. The characteristic behaviour of coral oxygen isotopes in this region of the Indian Ocean reveals the nature of the large-scale forcings. It appears that the ENS0 influences the equatorial Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) through an atmospheric teleconnection, which in turn, interacts with the sub-tropics through changes in landocean temperature gradients that enhance the wind strength. The effect of this interaction is manifested in the northern Arabian Sea coral oxygen isotopes more during the northeast, than during the southwest monsoon.
Keywords
Coral, Monsoon, ENSO, Oxygen isotopes, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean.
