Evidence for stronger El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events in a mid-Holocene massive coral

We present a 47-year-long record of sea surface temperature (SST) derived f rom Sr/Ca and U/Ca analysis of a massive Porites coral which grew at simila r to 4150 calendar years before present (B.P.) in Vanuatu (southwest tropic al Pacific Ocean). Mean SST is similar in both the modern instrumental reco rd and paleorecord, and both exhibit El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) fr equency SST oscillations. However, several strong decadal-frequency cooling events and a marked modulation of the seasonal SST cycle, with power at bo th ENSO and decadal frequencies, are observed in the paleorecord, which are unprecedented in the modern record.