Date of Award
5-1-2024
Language
English
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College/School/Department
Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Dissertation/Thesis Chair
Sujata A Murty
Committee Members
Aubrey L Hillman
Keywords
AMO, coral, d18O, Paleoclimate, Red Sea, Sr/Ca
Subject Categories
Atmospheric Sciences
Abstract
The Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW), an intermediate water mass formed in the northern Red Sea, is a primary Red Sea water circulation process. Understanding these water circulation processes gives us an insight into this region's climate dynamics. The intermediate water formation is one of the main processes of the water circulation in the northern Red Sea and feeds the Indian Ocean with saltier and colder water. Despite understanding the RSWO's association with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), its historical response to this climate mode remains unclear. There has not been a long-term record to analyze the relationship between the RSOW and other climate modes, such as the NAO and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), over the last 300 years. This study presents 235-year monthly reconstructions of sea surface temperature (SST), salinity (SSS), and density from a Porites spp. coral in the northern Red Sea to explore the impact of NAO and AMO on RSOW formation. Spectral analysis reveals significant variance in winter interannual Sr/Ca at 6.7 and 5.6 years, while δ18Ocoral and δ18Osw exhibit significant variance at periods of ~100 years, identified as the AMO. Since 1870, the negative AMO phases have increased 18Ocoral (density) and 18Osw (salinity) with a frequency of 69.5-46 years and a 10-year lag, and vice versa for positive AMO phases. Sr/Ca did not show a correlation with the AMO and spectral analysis only correlated significantly with high frequencies 6.7, 5.6, and 3.8. This suggests that multidecadal modes did not influence this coral record’s Sr/Ca but high-frequency modes instead. The AMO influence on density and salinity in this region suggests that this climate mode influences the pre-conditions of intermediate water formation. These findings suggest that the AMO significantly influences northern Red Sea SSS and density variability, providing valuable insights into the influences of the AMO on multidecadal timescales; this potentially can be influencing part of the water circulation in this region such as the RSOW.
Recommended Citation
Rivera-Matos, Daliza Nanette, "A Multi-Century Reconstruction Of Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, And Density From A Northern Red Sea Coral." (2024). Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024). 3363.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/legacy-etd/3363
