Data from: Mid-Late Holocene coral calcification dynamics: Deciphering climatic and environmental effects
Data files
Nov 10, 2025 version files 203.45 KB
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DataSet__Proceedings_B.xlsx
201.58 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Over the past four decades, a marked decrease in coral calcification has occurred across the world's tropical reefs, closely linked to climate change and human-activity impacts. However, how natural and human-induced factors influence coral calcification remains unclear due to a limited understanding of the geological past. This study addresses this gap by investigating the calcification parameters of 82 Porites corals from the northern South China Sea, with growth periods covering distinct climatic epochs during the Mid-Late Holocene, including the Holocene Climate Optimum, 4.2 ka BP event, Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice Age, and Current Warm Period. Our findings show a gradual increase in coral skeletal density towards the present, and varied linear extension and calcification rates between warm and cold phases and between pre- and post-industrial periods. This suggests that temperature plays a pivotal role in controlling coral calcification, with contingent influences from volcanic activity and solar radiation. Notably, the linear extension and calcification rates were significantly reduced during the Current Warm Period, suggesting a surpassing impact of contemporary human activities over the natural variability on coral calcification. This raises concerns about the prospects of coral reefs in the face of ongoing climate change and increasing human-activity impacts.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18t8
Guangchao Deng1, 2, Xuefei Chen1*, Wenfeng Deng1, Huiling Kang1, Jian-xin Zhao3, Gangjian Wei1*
1 State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
2 College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
3 Radiogenic Isotope Facility, School of Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Queensland, Australia
This dataset consists of DataSet__Proceedings_B.xlsx which represent coral skeletal growth parameters extracted from nearshore reef-building corals located on the eastern coast of Hainan Island. The parameters include linear extension rate, skeletal density, and calcification rate, covering a time span from 5379 to 1047 years before present (yr BP).
Details for each dataset are provided in the README file.
Each coral sample is provided as an individual data group (50 groups total). For each group, the dataset includes:
1) Sample ID: Unique identifier of the coral sample (14OC01, 14OC02, 14FJ03, 14FJ04, 14FJ06, 14FJ07, 14FJ08, 14FJ09, 14FJ10, 14FJ11, 14FJ12, 14FJ13 to 17, 14QG01, 14QG03, 14QG04, 14QG05, 14QG06, 14QG07, 14QG08 to 14, 15BA03, 15WC02 to 14, 16 to 20, 17FJ04, 17QG01)
2) Age (yr BP): Growth age derived from U-Th dating and annual band counting.
3) Linear extension rate (cm yr⁻¹): Annual skeletal extension along the growth axis.
4) Skeletal density (g cm⁻³): Density of the coral aragonitic skeleton.
5) Calcification rate (g cm⁻² yr⁻¹): Annual coral calcification (product of extension and density).