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A 107-year-old coral from Florida Bay: barometer of natural and man- induced catastrophes?

January 1, 1989

The 107-yr growth history of a massive coral Solenastrea bournoni from Florida Bay was reconstructed with X-ray imagery from a single 4 in. diameter (10 cm) core that penetrated the exact epicenter of the 95.3 cm high colony. Growth increments totalled 952.9 mm, averaging 8.9 mm/yr over the life of the coral. Growth rate trends in the Florida Bay coral were compared to those in a Montastraea annularis of similar age from a nearby patch reef on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Florida Keys. It was concluded that growth rate, at least in these specimens, is a questionable indicator of past hurricanes and freezes. There does appear to be, however, a possible cause-and-effect relationship between major man-induced environmental perturbations and a prolonged reduction in growth rate in each coral's growth record. -from Authors

Publication Year 1989
Title A 107-year-old coral from Florida Bay: barometer of natural and man- induced catastrophes?
Authors J.H. Hudson, G. V. N. Powell, M. B. Robblee, T. J. Smith
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Bulletin of Marine Science
Index ID 70014901
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse