Corals as Paleoclimate Proxies

This lecture discusses the development of proxies for past climate using preserved physical/chemical characteristics. It explores the use of corals as proxies for sea surface temperature, analyzing their skeletons' geochemical variables. The precision of proxies is evaluated through calibration and correlation coefficients. Various microanalytical tools are introduced to study coral skeletal chemistry and structure, emphasizing the importance of spatial resolution. The lecture also covers the ultra-structure of coral skeletons and the differences between reef-building and deep-sea corals in trace-element chemistry. It concludes by highlighting that coral skeletons are not in equilibrium with seawater and that their variations are not solely influenced by seawater temperature changes.