Characterising the tropical heat engine of global climate: Combined coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records from the Indo-Pacific region (2007-2011)
Abstract
This project aims to use high-resolution, precisely-dated coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records to characterise the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP), the world's warmest belt of ocean water. Such study is significant because the IPWP is the "heat engine" of modern global climate, modulating the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Asian-Australian monsoon, the two largest climate circulation systems that are responsible for severe floods/droughts/cyclones in Australia, causing immeasurable damage and loss. The results will improve our understanding of millennial to annual variability and past and future trends in sea level, ENSO, tropical storms and monsoon rainfall, and their impact on the environment and reef ecosystems in our region.
