Change of coral carbon isotopic response to anthropogenic Suess effect since around 2000s

The stable carbon isotope composition (delta C-13) in coral skeletons can be used to reconstruct the evolution of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in surface seawater, and its long-term declining trend during the past 200 years (similar to 1800-2000) reflects the effect of anthropogenic Suess effect on carbonate chemistry in surface oceans. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration still has been increasing since 2000, and the Suess effect is intensifying. Considering the coral's ability of resilience and acclimatization to external environmental stressors, the response of coral delta C-13 to Suess effect may change and needs to be re-evaluated. In this study, ten long coral delta C-13 time series synthesized from different oceans were used to re-evaluate the response of coral carbonate chemistry to Suess effect under the changing environments. These delta C-13 time series showed a long-term declining trend since 1960s, but the declining rates slowed in eight time series since around 2000s. Considering that the declining rates of the DIC-delta C-13 in surface seawater from the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station and Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Station has not changed since 2000 compared with those during 1960-1999, the change in the coral delta C-13 trends at eight of ten locations may indicate that the response of coral delta C-13 to the anthropogenic Suess effect has changed since around 2000s. This change may have resulted from coral acclimatization to external environmental stressors. To adapt to acidifying oceans, coral may have the ability to regulate the source of DIC in extracellular calcifying fluid and/or the utilization way of DIC, therefore the response of coral delta C-13 to anthropogenic Suess effect will change accordingly.

Automated summary

The stable carbon isotope composition in coral skeletons can be used to reconstruct the evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon in surface seawater. The response of coral delta C-13 to the anthropogenic Suess effect may have changed since around 2000 due to coral acclimatization to external environmental stressors. The ability of coral to regulate the source and utilization of DIC may lead to a change in the response of coral delta C-13 to the anthropogenic Suess effect as oceans become more acidic.