Date of Award
Fall 2026
Language
English
Embargo Period
10-20-2028
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College/School/Department
Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Program
Climate Science
First Advisor
Sujata Murty
Committee Members
Aubrey Hillman
Subject Categories
Climate | Geochemistry | Oceanography | Paleontology
Abstract
The Red Sea is a unique semi-enclosed marginal sea with high salinity due to high evaporation rates and limited freshwater input. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) are important climate drivers in the Red Sea, influencing ocean circulation and regional climate patterns. Yet, observational data prior to the satellite era are sparse and less reliable, limiting our ability to assess interannual to multi-decadal variability. Corals are useful climate archives to help fill in this gap as they grow continuously for centuries, incorporating trace elements into their aragonitic skeletons that vary in relation to changing environmental and climate conditions. Here, we present 180‑year long, monthly‑resolution record of coral Sr/Ca and δ¹⁸O values from the northern Red Sea to examine seasonal to multi-decadal sea surface temperature (SST) variability. Monthly coral Sr/Ca show a strong and statistically significant linear correlation with AVHRR satellite-derived SST (r² = 0.78, p< 0.01), supporting the reliability of coral Sr/Ca for capturing temperature variability. Winter-averaged Sr/Ca and SST reveal a moderate correlation (r² = 0.26, p< 0.01), reflecting a significant relationship even at interannual timescales for the winter season, during periods of enhanced surface cooling and vertical mixing. Running variance analyses indicate that SST variability was greatest during the early twentieth century and reduced during the late twentieth century. In contrast, hydrographic variability reached a maximum between 1970 and 1985, coinciding with the interval of minimum SST variability, suggesting that thermal and hydrographic conditions were not consistently coupled through time. Winter SST variability displayed significant relationships with both the NAO and AMO. Together, these findings demonstrate that northern Red Sea climate variability reflects the combined influence of local oceanographic processes and large-scale climate forcing, expressed through changes in the magnitude of environmental variability. The study highlights the value of coral paleoclimate archives for reconstructing climate variability beyond the instrumental era and provides new insight into the past climate in the northern Red Sea.
License
This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Autumn J., "Multi-Decadal Sea Surface Temperature Variability and Climate Mode Teleconnections Recorded in a Northern Red Sea Coral" (2026). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 556.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/556