Coral cores as record of past sea surface temperature of the Talang Besar Island (South China Sea)

The climate of the South China Sea is highly affected by the monsoon seasons. Trace elements ratios incorporated in skeletons of long-lived corals are considered as useful climate proxies. This study is based on measuring the Sr/Ca ratio (by ICP-OES) in a massive Porites species core sampled off Talang Besar Island for long term sea surface temperature reconstruction. The coral core recorded higher sea surface temperatures than the satellite data and captures only few past ENSO events. This study can help to understand past climates and environmental changes, and therefore help in improving future climate predictions.