Morales-Collazo, Jose A.

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    Reconstructing sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean during the early-mid Holocene from a reef exposure in Cañada Honda, Enriquillo Valley, Dominican Republic
    (2015) Morales-Collazo, Jose A.; Ramírez-Martínez, Wilson R.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Román Velázquez, Félix R.; Winter, Amos; Santos Mercado, Hernán; Department of Geology; Morell Rodríguez, Julio M.
    Temperatures during the Holocene are driven by seasonal changes in insolation; however, a better understanding of insolation mechanisms and how it affects tropical climate is still necessary. This study presents annual growth rates seasonally resolved oxygen and carbon isotopic and Sr/Ca trace elemental variations from five fossils Montastraea sp. corals from Cañada Honda Enriquillo Valley, Dominican Republic. U/Th dates obtained from fossil corals in M1 facies indicate earlymid Holocene dates ranging from 8.0-8.9 ka B.P. The aragonite skeleton composition was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Growth rates in Montastraea sp. corals, with a record of 30-80 years, collected at this site, range from 2.07 ± 0.14 to 3.55 ± 0.37 mm/yr (n=5). High sedimentation rates in the reef were estimated to range from 1.53 ± 0.18 to 2.48 ± 0.45 mm/yr (n=8). δ 18O measurements range from -0.69 to -2.41 (n=430) values that are heavier relative to modern corals from the tropics by ~2‰. Sr/Ca measurements range from 9.07 to 9.70 mmol/mol (n=430), values higher than modern corals from the tropics. Both proxies suggest colder environments during this time period. Calculated SST for each variable suggest temperature variations of 6°-7°C values never reported by any proxy from the Early Holocene, but may be explained by periods of freshwater influx. A low correlation index (R) estimated (0.26-0.85) suggests that both paleothermomethers are reacting to different variables.