Coral proxy record of decadal-scale reduction in base flow from Moloka'i, Hawaii

Nancy G. Prouty; Stacy D. Jupiter; Michael E. Field; Malcolm T. McCulloch

doi:10.1029/2009gc002714

Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70156109

Coral proxy record of decadal-scale reduction in base flow from Moloka'i, Hawaii

Nancy G. Prouty·Stacy D. Jupiter·Michael E. Field·Malcolm T. McCulloch

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Groundwater is a major resource in Hawaii and is the principal source of water for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use. With a growing population, a long-term downward trend in rainfall, and the need for proper groundwater management, a better understanding of the hydroclimatological system is essential. Proxy records from corals can supplement long-term observational networks, offering an accessible source of hydrologic and climate information. To develop a qualitative proxy for historic groundwater discharge to coastal waters, a suite of rare earth elements and yttrium (REYs) were analyzed from coral cores collected along the south shore of Moloka'i, Hawaii. The coral REY to calcium (Ca) ratios were evaluated against hydrological parameters, yielding the strongest relationship to base flow. Dissolution of REYs from labradorite and olivine in the basaltic rock aquifers is likely the primary source of coastal ocean REYs. There was a statistically significant downward trend (−40%) in subannually resolved REY/Ca ratios over the last century. This is consistent with long-term records of stream discharge from Moloka'i, which imply a downward trend in base flow since 1913. A decrease in base flow is observed statewide, consistent with the long-term downward trend in annual rainfall over much of the state. With greater demands on freshwater resources, it is appropriate for withdrawal scenarios to consider long-term trends and short-term climate variability. It is possible that coral paleohydrological records can be used to conduct model-data comparisons in groundwater flow models used to simulate changes in groundwater level and coastal discharge.

Explore related subjects

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 21.04285036358773° to 21.22730184889005° latitude; -157.31735229492188° to -156.7028045654297° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Nancy G. Prouty, Stacy D. Jupiter, Michael E. Field, Malcolm T. McCulloch. 2009-12-31. Coral proxy record of decadal-scale reduction in base flow from Moloka'i, Hawaii. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009gc002714

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2026

Hydrothermal manganese-oxide mineralization of a carbonate ooze, Samoan hotspot region, South Pacific Ocean

Low-temperature hydrothermal manganese oxides occur throughout the global oceans. However, the hydrothermal replacement of a carbonate ooze by manganese oxides is described here for the first time. The 24 samples dredged from three locations around the Territory of American Samoa in the South Pacific Ocean include six samples with remnant carbonate and volcaniclastic sediments, which we refer to as “low Mn,” and 18 samples in which the mineralization is pervasive and has replaced most original sediment, termed “high Mn.” The 18 high-Mn samples exhibit a mean Mn content of 51 wt.%. Higher Li and Mn contents and lower Fe contents in the high-Mn samples indicate a hydrothermal origin and distinguish these samples from hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts. Mn-oxide layers are up to 90 mm thick, some with columns to 44 mm long and 10 mm wide, the magnitude of which has not been described previously. Samples are composed of birnessite and 10 Å phyllomanganate minerals. Textures of the thickest Mn layers indicate mineralization below the seabed from ascending fluids during multiple hydrothermal pulses. Mineralization took place by complete to partial replacement and cementation of foraminiferal sediments intermixed with volcaniclastic sediments in varying amounts. Our results highlight the production of carbonate sediment-hosted hydrothermal Mn oxides from multiple hydrothermal sources within the Samoan volcanic chain. The potential extensive distribution on the regional scale of this newly described mineralization process and unique element enrichments raise questions about its broader distribution globally and potential importance to hydrothermal processes, element mass balance, and seabed mineral resources.

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems↗

USGS2026

Regional variations in sea ice and primary productivity in the Bering Sea during Marine Isotope Stage 11

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (424-374 ka) has long been an analog for Holocene climate, because it is the most recent interglacial period with similar orbital conditions. However, there is significant global and regional variability in the climate response to MIS 11 warmth. Here, we review sediment core records from across the Bering Sea to investigate changes in paleoceanographic conditions during Marine Isotope Stages 12-10. Sea ice was present over much of the Bering Sea during MIS 11, but today, none of the sites investigated are ever ice-covered. This suggests that sea ice regimes in the Bering Sea during MIS 11 were different to those of the Holocene. There are also regional differences in the response of sea ice to MIS 11 warming. At the Umnak Plateau, Southeastern Bering Sea, sea ice concentrations decline during deglaciation, but they remain high at the slope sites until Peak MIS 11. Sea ice re-advances over the Umnak Plateau during peak interglacial warmth, at the same time that it declines over the slope sites. Late MIS 11 is characterized by high concentrations of seasonal sea ice at the Umnak Plateau, whilst sea ice at the slope sites fluctuates between consolidated and unconsolidated ice cover. This east-west dichotomy may be explained by changes in the behavior of the Aleutian Low. Productivity increases dramatically during deglaciation due to increased upwelling and sea level rise bringing fresh nutrients into the oceans. This is characterized by increased diatom productivity, increased terrestrial carbon deposition, and laminations at all sites.

Alaska↗

USGS2026

Constraining sources of mid-Pleistocene to present explosive volcanism in the Gulf of Alaska using machine learning and compositional data analysis

The long-term eruptive record of a region helps better elucidate magmatic processes at depth as well as volcanic hazards at the surface. Typically, reconstructing such records is done using proximal tephrostratigraphy and linking individual tephras to source volcanoes. These records, however, can only be accurately constructed if they are both well preserved and correctly linked to source volcanoes—not a trivial task, especially in areas such as Alaska that have experienced numerous glaciation events since the Pleistocene. This ultimately necessitates another way of assessing the long-term volcanic record such that these histories may be better discerned. Here we present data from 70 marine core tephras from the Gulf of Alaska, which have a virtually uninterrupted depositional record going back through the mid-Pleistocene. We utilize compositional data analysis techniques to quantify 37 eruptions over the span of eight cores, machine learning classification and conformal prediction algorithms to assign the most probable volcanic source(s) to each eruption, and multivariate distance-based metrics when machine learning classification algorithms are inappropriate. We find that the Mount Katmai magmatic system is the most probable volcanic source for analyzed tephras and that large volcanic centers such as Mount Katmai, Fisher Caldera, and Emmons Lake volcanic center have produced nearly invariant incompatible trace element ratio magmas, allowing for them to be confidently identified in long-term tephra records. This highlights the utility of trace elements for tephra studies, especially when paired with compositional data analysis, multivariate statistical tests, and petrologically informed discriminants.

Alaska↗