A marine reservoir correction for the Houtman-Abrolhos Archipelago, East Indian Ocean, Western Australia
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Date
2013-01-01
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Publisher
University of Arozina Department of Geosciences
Abstract
High-precision analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) was performed upon known-age Holocene and modern, pre-bomb coral samples to generate a marine reservoir age correction value (Delta R) for the Houtman-Abrolhos Archipelago (28.7 degrees S, 113.8 degrees E) off the Western Australian coast. The mean Delta R value calculated for the Abrolhos Islands, 54 +/- 30 yr (1 sigma) agrees well with regional Delta R values for Leeuwin Current source waters (N-NW Australia-Java) of 60 +/- 38 yr. The Abrolhos Islands show little variation with Delta R values of the northwestern and north Australian coast, underlining the dominance of the more equilibrated western Pacific-derived waters of the Leeuwin Current over local upwelling. The Abrolhos Islands Delta R values have remained stable over the last 2884 cal yr BP, being also attributed to the Leeuwin Current and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal during this period. Expected future trends will be a strengthening of the teleconnection of the Abrolhos Islands to the climatic patterns of the equatorial Pacific via enhanced ENSO and global warming activity strengthening the Leeuwin Current. The possible effect upon the trend of future Delta R values may be to maintain similar values and an increase in stability. However, warming trends of global climate change may cause increasing dissimilarity of Delta R values due to the effects of increasing heat stress upon lower-latitude coral communities. © 2013, University of Arizona.
Description
Keywords
Aquatic ecosystems, Corals, Carbon 14, Mass spectroscopy, Islands
Citation
Squire, P., Joannes-Boyau, R., Scheffers, A. M., Nothdurft, L. D., Hua, Q., Collins, L. B., Scheffers, S. R., & Zhao, J. X. (2013). A marine reservoir correction for the Houtman-Abrolhos Archipelago, East Indian Ocean, Western Australia. Radiocarbon, 55(1), 103-114. doi:10.2458/azu_js_rc.v55i1.16197