Grantee Research Project Results

The Effect of Irradiance and Zooplankton on the Stable Carbon Isotopic (d13C) Composition on Scleractinian Corals

EPA Grant Number: U914955
Title: The Effect of Irradiance and Zooplankton on the Stable Carbon Isotopic (d13C) Composition on Scleractinian Corals
Investigators: Grottoli-Everett, Andrea G.
Institution: University of Houston
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: January 1, 1996 through December 7, 1999
Project Amount: $102,000
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (1996) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Fellowship - Oceanography , Fellowship - Aquatic Ecology and Ecosystems , Academic Fellowships

Objective:

The objective of this research project is to evaluate the effect of solar irradilance and plankton on delta ¹³C levels in coral skeletons to reconstruct paleoclimate (climate of past ages) changes related to cloud cover and the extent of upwelling events in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Approach:

The proposed experiments were designed to test the following hypotheses: (1) as irradiance increases, skeletal delta ¹³C increases; and (2) as plankton levels increase, skeletal delta ¹³C decreases. A controlled tank experiment was conducted in Hawaii to grow coral fragments of Porites compressa and P. lobata under specific light and zooplankon regimes for 4 months. The resulting skeletal material will be extracted, and the delta ¹³C levels will be analyzed. A multiple linear regression of the data will be used to assess the association between skeletal delta ¹³C, light, and plankton. The resulting predictive model will facilitate reconstruction of past light and plankton levels based on patterns of the skeletal delta ¹³C signature. The model was validated by conducting a field experiment (similar to the tank experiment); its range of applicability was tested by conducting a similar field experiment in Florida. The model will be used to reconstruct cloud cover and upwelling events from published coral isotope records. The complete reconstruction of tropical paleoclimates and its incorporation into global climate models (GCMs) are essential to improving the reliability of GCMs and their powers of global climate prediction.

Supplemental Keywords:

fellowship, stable carbon isotopic composition, scleractinian corals, solar irradiance, plankton, global climate modesl, GCMs., RFA, Air, Scientific Discipline, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Ecological Risk Assessment, Chemistry, Atmosphere, Monitoring/Modeling, Air Pollution Effects, climate change, Global Climate Change, climate model, global climate models, global change, atmospheric chemistry, ecological models, coastal ecosystems, environmental monitoring, climate models, environmental measurement, climate variability, ecosystem indicators, solar irradiance, environmental stress, UV radiation, plankton, ecosystem stress, meteorology, aquatic ecosystems, climatic influence, coral reef communities

Progress and Final Reports:

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.