Coral Records of Past and Present Climate Extremes

In 2023-2024, the world saw droughts, flooding and other natural disasters caused by a global climatic phenomena called El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) originating in the central tropical pacific. This is one of the most important climate phenomena on Earth due to its influence on global atmospheric circulation. Researchers at Brown, led by Professor Kim Cobb, are using coral records from the central tropical pacific to understand ENSO.

“This project will provide the most robust reconstruction we have of the past 200 years – which is a very important time to understand the shift from pre- and post industrial revolution, when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels started rising rapidly.” – Chandler Morris 

The oxygen isotopic composition of these corals is used to reconstruct a month-by-month record of past sea surface temperatures and hydrological changes,giving insight into how ENSO behaves and its variability overtime. Reconstructions of past climate helps define future variability of ENSO, especially in light of human-caused climate change. Extreme climatic events due to ENSO impact populations in the tropical pacific region around the world, and a better understanding of how ENSO evolves will help communities better prepare for the future.