Measurement of luminescence in coral skeletons

Luminescent lines in skeletons of the massive coral Porites record periods when seawater was significantly diluted by land runoff. Records developed from such lines would be useful in a wide range of areas, including climatology, oceanography, civil engineering, agriculture, water resources and reef management. To realise this enormous potential, we built an instrument for routine, reliable recovery of luminescence information from coral skeletons. Skeletal slices were laid on a table that moved in 0.25 mm steps. The coral skeleton was illuminated with ultra-violet light (UV) at 390 nm and luminescent emissions at 490 nm were recorded. Light at 490 nm was then shone on the same 2 mm diameter point on the skeleton and the reflection of 490 nm light was recorded. Luminescent emissions from a point were then standardised by the reflectivity of that same point.Slices cut from three corals that grew at an inshore reef had many strong luminescent lines. Measurements of luminescence in these colonies were nearly identical, both for multiple tracks across one slice and for tracks across slices from the different corals. There was a clear link with discharge from a nearby river. Slices cut from two corals that grew at a reef 56 km offshore had occasional, weak luminescent lines that were also linked with river discharge. Tracks across these slices were similar but the weak luminescence due to river discharge was partially obscured by weak luminescence associated with the annual density banding pattern that characterises massive coral skeletons. The technique recovered excellent information about skeletal luminescence. However, there is a need to gain better understanding of the link between seawater dilution and luminescence and to develop procedures for data processing before the technique can be used to construct useful proxy environmental records.