Wararat Sirianansakul and Nathsuda Pumijumnong

pp. 583 - 589

Abstract

Variations in ratios of strontium-to-calcium (Sr/Ca) for two Porites sp. coral specimens collected from Wai (PW) and
Loa Ya (PLY) islands, part of Chang islands, Gulf of Thailand, were determined. Inductively coupled plasma optimal emission
spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to analyze this ratio, which demonstrates annual cycles and the data is assumed to reflect
the sea surface temperature (SST). Comparing the ratios with SST data, following Sr/Ca–SST relationships were determined
PW: Sr/Ca (mmol/mol) = 11.56–0.070×SST, PLY: Sr/Ca (mmol/mol) = 11.89–0.081×SST. Our correlations are different from those
previously reported; a discrepancy that may involve differences in analytical methods employed and abnormally low sea
surface salinity (SSS) (<30 psu) in the Gulf of Thailand.

Keywords

• Sr/Ca ratio
• coral skeletons
• sea surface temperature
• Chang Islands
• Gulf of Thailand