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Coral Alignment

December 12, 2016

WHOI biogeochemist Konrad Hughen aligns segments of coral skeleton cored with a special underwater drill from a boulder coral off an island in the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Corals build skeletons from chemical components in seawater and grow in annual layers, like tree rings, so scientists can precisely date when the skeletons formed. Layers deeper down formed longer ago, so the alignment is critical. Back in the lab, scientists analyze the chemical makeup of the skeleton to reveal changes over time in ocean temperature, salinity, and chemistry that, in turn, reflect how climate has shifted in the region. (Photo by Justin Ossolinski, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)