| definition |
- Corals are generally members of the order Scleractinia, which have hard calcerous skeletons supporting softer tissues. For paleoclimatic studies, the important coral subgroup is the reef-building, massive corals known as hermatypic corals. Coral growth rates vary and are sensitive to sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Dating coral growth has shown high correspondance between large excursions of oxygen-18 (del18O) and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
events. Coral growth studies have led to new information about paleo-SSTs,
rainfall, river runoff, ocean circulation, and tropical wind systems.
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