EVALUATING CLIMATE INDEXES AND THEIR GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES MEASURED IN CORALS

Standard ocean/climate indices such as the Nino-3 sea surface temperat ure (SST) index, based on sparse instrumental data, and atmospheric in dices such as the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), may now be substit uted and/or extended by coral-based indices. Several elements or their isotopes are incorporated in coral aragonitic skeletons at predictabl e concentrations, some of which are temperature or salinity dependent. The availability of century-old corals, at key oceanographic sites, p ermits the establishment of a network of proxy climate indices.