Little Ice Age sea surface temperature variability in the Southwest tropical Pacific

Abstract

We present a 60-year near-monthly record of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) during the Little Ice Age derived from coupled Sr/Ca and U/Ca analysis of a massive coral from New Caledonia (southwest tropical Pacific). The record indicates that, from 1701 to 1761, surface temperatures were on average 1.4°C cooler than during the past 30 years. This cooling was accompanied by strong interannual to interdecadal oscillations that changed the background state. Correlations between SST changes and the Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation are evolutive and appear to depend on the background state.