Data

Rainfall variability over northeastern Australia derived from coral luminescence data

Name: Rainfall variability over northeastern Australia derived from coral luminescence data
Published: 2025

Australian Institute of Marine Science

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)

Viewed: [[ro.stat.viewed]] Cited: [[ro.stat.cited]] Accessed: [[ro.stat.accessed]]

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The cores were collected from reefs offshore from Red Wallis Is, Pascoe River, Jeannie River, Conical Rocks, Normanby Island, Dunk Island, Coombe Island, Brooke Island, Great Palm Island, Pandora Reef, Havannah Island, Archeron Island, Magnetic Island, Hook Island, Stonehaven Beach, North Molle Island, Cid Harbour, South Molle Island, Lupton Island and Humpy Island.Luminescence (excitation k (nm)/emission k (nm) = 390/490) was measured on slices from each core at 0.25 mm intervals with a 2 mm diameter beam using optical luminometry along a major growth axis of each coral core slice.Monthly instrumental rainfall for northeast Queensland including the catchments of rivers draining into the Great Barrier Reef was sourced from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for the period 1900-2008. These data were used to calculate annual summer rainfall (October-March) for 1901 to 2008.17 of the annual coral luminescence series were significantly correlated with the instrumental rainfall record. These 17 series were used to develop a suite of reconstructions of Queensland rainfall (using PCA and linear regression analyses) - using between 17 and a single coral core. The reconstructions differ in the start year (depending on available coral records). All reconstructions were significantly calibrated and verified against the instrumental climate record.The longest reconstruction based on 3 coral records starts in 1685 and triples the length of the instrumental record. The single core reconstruction starts in 1639 but the 3-coral reconstruction is considered more robust. The purpose of the present study is to develop new reconstructions of NE tropical Queensland rainfall based on quantitative measurements of luminescence intensity using fluorescence spectroscopy in multiple coral cores from the Great Barrier Reef.Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlannedStatement: Statement: The methods used to measure luminescence in corals are described in:Barnes DJ, Taylor RB and Lough JM (2003) Measurement of luminescence in coral skeletons. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 295: 91-106.Lough JM (2011) Measured coral luminescence as a freshwater proxy: comparison with visual indices and a potential age artefact. 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While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.&rft_rights=Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2017). Rainfall variability over northeastern Australia derived from coral luminescence data. https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/425dac27-80ed-494d-9b3a-8ae4944a560e, accessed[date-of-access].&rft_subject=oceans&rft.type=dataset&rft.language=English Access the data

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Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/

Use Limitation: All AIMS data, products and services are provided "as is" and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.

Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: "Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2017). Rainfall variability over northeastern Australia derived from coral luminescence data. https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/425dac27-80ed-494d-9b3a-8ae4944a560e, accessed[date-of-access]".

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Full description

Twenty coral cores from the Australian Institute of Marine Science's archive of long Porites spp. coral cores from the Great Barrier Reef were chosen for this study. The cores selected were from sites extending along much of the length of the Great Barrier Reef (between 11°-23°S); were located in nearshore waters, which would be affected by freshwater flood plumes (between 0 and 30km from the mainland) and previous analyses of annual coral growth records for these cores indicated that records started prior to 20th century. The cores were collected from reefs offshore from Red Wallis Is, Pascoe River, Jeannie River, Conical Rocks, Normanby Island, Dunk Island, Coombe Island, Brooke Island, Great Palm Island, Pandora Reef, Havannah Island, Archeron Island, Magnetic Island, Hook Island, Stonehaven Beach, North Molle Island, Cid Harbour, South Molle Island, Lupton Island and Humpy Island.Luminescence (excitation k (nm)/emission k (nm) = 390/490) was measured on slices from each core at 0.25 mm intervals with a 2 mm diameter beam using optical luminometry along a major growth axis of each coral core slice.Monthly instrumental rainfall for northeast Queensland including the catchments of rivers draining into the Great Barrier Reef was sourced from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology for the period 1900-2008. These data were used to calculate annual summer rainfall (October-March) for 1901 to 2008.17 of the annual coral luminescence series were significantly correlated with the instrumental rainfall record. These 17 series were used to develop a suite of reconstructions of Queensland rainfall (using PCA and linear regression analyses) - using between 17 and a single coral core. The reconstructions differ in the start year (depending on available coral records). All reconstructions were significantly calibrated and verified against the instrumental climate record.The longest reconstruction based on 3 coral records starts in 1685 and triples the length of the instrumental record. The single core reconstruction starts in 1639 but the 3-coral reconstruction is considered more robust.
The purpose of the present study is to develop new reconstructions of NE tropical Queensland rainfall based on quantitative measurements of luminescence intensity using fluorescence spectroscopy in multiple coral cores from the Great Barrier Reef.

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned

Statement: Statement: The methods used to measure luminescence in corals are described in:Barnes DJ, Taylor RB and Lough JM (2003) Measurement of luminescence in coral skeletons. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 295: 91-106.Lough JM (2011) Measured coral luminescence as a freshwater proxy: comparison with visual indices and a potential age artefact. Coral Reefs 30:169-182.

Notes

Credit
Lough, Janice M, Dr (Principal Investigator)

Modified: 19 09 2025

This dataset is part of a larger collection

Click to explore relationships graph

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Subjects

oceans |

User Contributed Tags

Other Information

Great Barrier Reef coral luminescence reveals rainfall variability over northeastern Australia since the 17th century: Lough JM (2011) Great Barrier Reef coral luminescence reveals rainfall variability over northeastern Australia since the 17th century. Paleoceanography 26: PA2201.

local : articleId=8560

Link to data at AIMS in Microsoft Excel format

uri : https://data.aims.gov.au/data-download/lough/Luminescence-Reconstructed-Rainfall/Luminescence-Reconstructed-Rainfall-Lough.xls External Link

Link to data lodged with the NOAA World Data Center for Paleoclimatology

local : ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/coral/west_pacific/great_barrier/queensland-rainfall2011.txt

Link to Auxiliary Material for the article: Lough JM (2011) Great Barrier Reef coral luminescence reveals rainfall variability over northeastern Australia since the 17th century. Paleoceanography 26: PA2201.

uri : http://www.agu.org/journals/pa/pa1102/2010PA002050/ External Link

Identifiers

global : 425dac27-80ed-494d-9b3a-8ae4944a560e