Influence of local industrial changes on reef coral calcification

Abstract

Coral reefs are currently facing multiple disturbances caused by natural/anthropogenic factors. Recent industrial development might influence reef environments and ecosystems; however, few direct comparisons of coral calcification with the histories of local industries exist. We show the coral Ba/Ca record and growth histories for 46 years collected from Sumiyo Bay, Amami-Oshima Island, Japan. Coral Ba/Ca was mainly controlled by the sediment loads in seawater, which are introduced through the two local rivers. Coral Ba/Ca records have been characterized by two distinct historical periods: the decadal fluctuation corresponding to the traditional silk fabric industry (1960s ~ 1995) and the increasing trend corresponding to the development of quarries and the construction industry (1996 ~). Coral Ba/Ca records and local industrial histories were also linked to coral calcification. A long-term quantitative assessment of reef environments and local industrial changes could provide an evaluation of the survival strategies of reef-building corals in the future.

Environmental records from coral skeletons: A decade of novel insights and innovation

“…First, as reviewed by Saha et al (2016) there has been rapid expansion and refinement of proxies for upwelling (Grottoli et al, 2013;LaVigne et al, 2010LaVigne et al, , 2016Watanabe et al, 2017), runoff/river discharge (Brenner et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2020;Grove et al, 2012;Kaushal et al, 2020Kaushal et al, , 2021LaVigne et al, 2016;Maina et al, 2012;Saha et al, 2018), and/or sediment flux on to the reef (Carriquiry & Horta-Puga, 2010;Fleitmann et al, 2007;Ito et al, 2020;Mallela et al, 2013;Prouty et al, 2010;Tanzil et al, 2019) from elements with nutrient-like profiles in the water column (Ba/Ca, P/Ca, Y/Ca, Cd/Ca, δ 13 C) and from skeletal luminescence. For example, while Ba/Ca proxy has been widely applied for some time, the interpretation of these records has varied greatly among sites.…”

Multi-colony calibration of barium isotopes between shallow-water coral skeletons and in-situ seawater: Implications for paleo proxies

“…McCulloch et al, 2003;Saha et al, 2016;Brenner et al, 2017;Lewis et al, 2018), sediment load (e.g. McCulloch et al, 2003;Fleitmann et al, 2007;Ito et al, 2020) and upwelling (e.g. Lea et al, 1989;Fallon et al, 1999;Reuer et al, 2003;Montaggioni et al, 2006;Walther et al, 2013).…”

Nonstationary footprints of ENSO in the Mekong River Delta hydrology

“…Here we investigate the frequency and intensity of hydrological changes during the last century using a coral proxy record. The chemical composition in a drilled coral core allows us to calculate an oxygen isotopic ratio in seawater (δ 18 O sw , a proxy for hydrology changes 21 – 23 ) which enables a reliable reconstruction of paleolimnology 24 and palaeoceanography 25 , 26 . Reconstruction of the interannual to decadal hydrological change using the oceanic proxy could imply mechanisms behind the flood and drought events with the anthropogenic 27 and natural 12 , 13 hydrological changes.…”