UV-spectral luminescence scanning: technical updates and calibration developments

Spectral luminescence scanning (SLS) is a novel technique that uses a UV light source and line-scan camera to generate photoluminescence images of carbonate materials, such as corals. The camera in the Avaatech XRF core scanner records luminescence signals in three spectral domains of visual light, providing Red, Green and Blue (RGB) luminescence intensity data. Spectral luminescence Green/Blue ratios (G/B) of coral skeletons have previously been employed as a proxy to reconstruct river runoff. Prior G/B reconstructions have been formulated based on indirect G/B-runoff relationships (e.g. modelled discharge), as coral cores were drilled from regions where reliable long-term instrumental data were lacking, i.e. Madagascar. Here, we provide additional evidence that G/B is directly related to runoff by comparing instrumental data with four coral cores from the Keppel Islands, Australia; a region where instrumental data are both reliable and plentiful. A four coral core G/B-composite record was found to correlate significantly with precipitation, stream height level and stream discharge rate over a 53 year period. The strongest G/B relationship observed was with stream discharge rate, which explained 37 % of the total interannual variance of G/B. Modifications to the Avaatech XRF core scanner are ongoing. Here, we describe the use of a new commercially available light cut off filter (Schott GG 455 nm long pass filter) to block reflected Blue light from the UV light source, and compare it with the previously employed 450 nm filter. Conversion of the 450 nm filtered data to 455 nm filtered data was carried out by a linear correction function based on major axis regression, providing statistically similar G/B data for monthly resolved coral records, as well as offering greater insights into the nature and cause of skeletal luminescence. In addition to modifications to the scanner, developments in the sample preparation are described here. We show that when treating coral cores with NaOCl to remove organic contaminants, soaking once or twice for 24 h can have different effects on absolute G/B values. Corals must therefore be treated consistently to ensure accurate cross core comparisons. A single 24 h treatment is sufficient in most cases; however, when resistant contaminants remain a second 24 h treatment improves the signal. Absolute values can therefore not be compared when cores are cleaned using different treatment methods

River runoff reconstructions from novel spectral luminescence scanning of massive coral skeletons

Inshore massive corals often display bright luminescent lines that have been linked to river flood plumes into coastal catchments and hence have the potential to provide a long-term record of hinterland precipitation. Coral luminescence is thought to result from the incorporation of soil-derived humic acids transported to the reef during major flood events. Corals far from terrestrial sources generally only exhibit dull relatively broad luminescence bands, which are attributed to seasonal changes in coral density. We therefore tested the hypothesis that spectral ratios rather than conventional luminescence intensity provide a quantitative proxy record of river runoff without the confounding effects of seasonal density changes. For this purpose, we have developed a new, rapid spectral luminescence scanning (SLS) technique that splits emission intensities into red, green and blue domains (RGB) for entire cores with an unprecedented linear resolution of 71. 4 μm. Since humic acids have longer emission wavelength than the coral aragonite, normalisation of spectral emissions should yield a sensitive optical humic acid/aragonite ratio for humic acid runoff, i. e., G/B ratio. Indeed, G/B ratios rather than intensities are well correlated with Ba/Ca, a geochemical coral proxy for sediment runoff, and with rainfall data, as exemplified for coral records from Madagascar. Coral cores also display recent declining trends in luminescence intensity, which are also reported in corals elsewhere. Such trends appear to be associated with a modern decline in skeletal densities. By contrast, G/B spectral ratios not only mark the impact of individual cyclones but also imply that humic acid runoff increased in Madagascar over the past few decades while coral skeletal densities decreased. Consequently, the SLS technique deconvolves the long-term interplay between humic acid incorporation and coral density that have confounded earlier attempts to use luminescence intensities as a proxy for river runoff

Coral luminescence identifies the Pacific Decadal Oscillation as a primary driver of river runoff variability impacting the southern Great Barrier Reef

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a large-scale climatic phenomenon modulating ocean-atmosphere variability on decadal time scales. While precipitation and river flow variability in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchments are sensitive to PDO phases, the extent to which the PDO influences coral reefs is poorly understood. Here, six Porites coral cores were used to produce a composite record of coral luminescence variability (runoff proxy) and identify drivers of terrestrial influence on the Keppel reefs, southern GBR. We found that coral skeletal luminescence effectively captured seasonal, inter-annual and decadal variability of river discharge and rainfall from the Fitzroy River catchment. Most importantly, although the influence of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events was evident in the luminescence records, the variability in the coral luminescence composite record was significantly explained by the PDO. Negative luminescence anomalies (reduced runoff) were associated with El Nino years during positive PDO phases while positive luminescence anomalies (increased runoff) coincided with strong/moderate La Nino years during negative PDO phases. This study provides clear evidence that not only ENSO but also the PDO have significantly affected runoff regimes at the Keppel reefs for at least a century, and suggests that upcoming hydrological disturbances and ecological responses in the southern GBR region will be mediated by the future evolution of these sources of climate variability

Linkages between coral assemblages and coral proxies of terrestrial exposure along a cross-shelf gradient on the southern Great Barrier Reef

Coral core records, combined with measurements of coral community structure, were used to assess the long-term impact of multiple environmental stressors on reef assemblages along an environmental gradient. Multiple proxies (luminescent lines, Ba/Ca, δ15N) that reflect different environmental conditions (freshwater discharge, sediment delivery to the nearshore, nutrient availability and transformations) were measured in Porites coral cores collected from nearshore reefs at increasing distance from the intensively agricultural region of Mackay (Queensland, Australia). The corals provide a record (1968–2002) of the frequency and intensity of exposure to terrestrial runoff and fertilizer-derived nitrogen and were used to assess how the present-day coral community composition may have been influenced by flood-related disturbance. Reefs closest to the mainland (5–32 km offshore) were characterized by low hard coral cover (≤10%), with no significant differences among locations. Distinct annual luminescent lines and elevated Ba/Ca values (4.98 ± 0.63 μmol mol−1; mean ± SD) in the most inshore corals (Round Top Island; 5 km offshore) indicated chronic, sub-annual exposure to freshwater and resuspended terrestrial sediment that may have historically prevented reef formation. By contrast, corals from Keswick Island (32 km offshore) indicated episodic, high-magnitude exposure to Pioneer River discharge during extreme flood events (e.g., 1974, 1991), with strongly luminescent lines and substantially enriched coral skeletal δ15N (12–14‰). The reef assemblages at Keswick and St. Bees islands were categorically different from all other locations, with high fleshy macroalgal cover (80.1 ± 7.2% and 62.7 ± 7.1%, respective mean ± SE) overgrowing dead reef matrix. Coral records from Scawfell Island (51 km offshore) indicated little exposure to Pioneer catchment influence: all locations from Scawfell and further offshore had total hard and soft coral cover comparable to largely undisturbed nearshore to middle shelf reefs of the southern Great Barrier Reef