Coral Sr/Ca-SST calibration: SST records from Kenyan corals

To better understand the seasonal variability in SST in Kenyan coral reef ecosystems, Sr/Ca ratios have been measured in Kenyan coral skeletons as proxies of SST, and a new Sr/Ca = f(SST) calibration was established: Sr/Ca = − 0.053 (± 0.006) *SST + 10.43 (± 0.16). The slope was within the margins of − 0.04 and − 0.08 mmolmol−1 °C of previously published Sr/Ca-SST calibration equations. A reliability test revealed that the present calibration equation reproduces a previously published calibration equation developed for Kenyan corals. This calibration was applied to corals collected in reef ecosystems under different natural and anthropogenic influences: Tana Delta Ziwayu Island, Watamu National Marine Park, and Shimon Mupunguti Marine Reserve. Using the developed Sr/Ca-thermometry, the reconstructed Sr/Ca-SST revealed that reefs from the southern basin of the Kenyan Indian Ocean are exposed to warmer SSTs than reefs in the northern Basin are. Additionally, the results revealed that the seasonal variability on SST increased moving toward the southern basin of the Kenyan Indian Ocean. We use the local instrument SST as an SST reference, which is aligned against the Sr/Ca seasonal signals recorded in SMR3-18 (the nearest coral site), and the intensity of the third global coral bleaching (April and May 2016) is affirmed.