A 200 Year Record of Carbon-13 and Carbon-14 Variations in a Bermuda Coral

Authors

Y. Nozaki, Yale University
D. M. Rye, Yale University
K. K. Turekian, Yale UniversityFollow
Richard E. Dodge, Yale UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Geophysical Research Letters

ISSN

0094-8276

Publication Date

10-1978

Keywords

Meteorology, Chemical composition, Chemical interactions, Boundary layer, Exchange process, Chemical pceanography

Abstract

A 200 year old brain coral, captured in Bermuda in 1976 was slabbed and x-rayed. Using the annual growth bands sequential, dated samples were taken over the entire growth period of the coral and analyzed for Δ¹⁴C, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O. During the past 80 years atmospheric variations in Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C due to human effects, such as release of bomb C-14 and dilution of both C-14 and C-13 by fossil fuel burning, are closely tracked by the coral. Prior to 1900 divergences between the coral and tree Δ¹⁴C and δ¹³C can be related to world-wide changes in plant production and possibly oceanic upwelling rates.

DOI

10.1029/GL005i010p00825

Volume

5

Issue

10

First Page

825

Last Page

828

Comments

©1978 by the American Geophysical Union

Additional Comments

NSF grant #: OCE 76-02039

NSUWorks Citation

Nozaki, Y., D. M. Rye, K. K. Turekian, and R. E. Dodge. 1978. "A 200 year record of carbon-13 and carbon-14 variations in a Bermuda coral." Geophysical Research Letters no. 5 (10):825-828. doi: 10.1029/GL005i010p00825.