Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C513842/1
Amino acids in corals; range finders for sclerochronology and markers of bleaching?
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor M Collins, University of York, Archaeology
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor AW Tudhope, University of Edinburgh, Sch of Geosciences
- Grant held at:
- University of York, Archaeology
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Earth
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Pollution and Waste
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Quaternary Science
- Palaeoenvironments
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- The skeletons of massive corals are a valuable source of information about past tropical climate, in particular as they appear to act as a bell-weather for global warming. In 1998, an estimated 16% of the world's tropical coral were killed in the most destructive and global bleaching event documented. At the same time, tropical sea surface temperatures were the highest in the modern instrumental record. Anomalously warm sea surface temperatures again caused widespread bleaching during 2002. The annual growth bands in coral can be used to reconstructed temperature, salinity, ocean circulation, river runoff and sediment discharge over a colony's lifetime. In massive corals these records may span many centuries, and by overlapping these, long, high resolution chronologies can be constructed. Intra-crystalline amino acids have not been investigated before, but pilot data indicate remarkable potential. A chemical change (racemization) in one amino acid, aspartic acid, offers the highest resolution chronology yet observed using this method. Aspartic acid racemization could help place these records on a precise chronology to allow comparisons between sites, for example to map the spatial behaviour of high-frequency short-term climate fluctuations such as El Ni?o. Even more intriguing is that variation in other amino acids may provide a marked for and a clue to the process of coral bleaching. In the preliminary study, deviations in the amount of racemization of aspartic acid followed an increase in amino acid bacterial markers the year before. Records of bleaching frequency and contemporary environmental conditions are critical to understanding the impact of future climate change and preparing management strategies for coral reefs.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C513842/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Small Grants
This grant award has a total value of £29,423
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Staff | Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £15,399 | £1,006 | £5,934 | £7,084 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.