Two centuries of climate variability and extreme weather events in the western South Atlantic based on the skeletons of shallow-water corals

• Grant number: 24/07003-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Geological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Cristiano Mazur Chiessi
• Grantee: Leticia Maria Cavole
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/15123-4 - Past perspectives on tipping elements of the climate system: the Amazon Rainforest and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (PPTEAM), AP.PFPMCG.JP2

Abstract

The understanding climate variability and extreme weather events in the western South Atlantic over the past 200 years presents numerous knowledge gaps. Important features of the climate system such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) lack a comprehensive understanding in this region. Furthermore, despite growing concerns about the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as marine heat waves and heavy rainfall, in situ and pre-satellite historical data are scarce. In this project, we will use geochemical data and density band records from the shallow-water coral Siderastrea stellata collected along the coast of Brazil to investigate climate variability and extreme events in the region over the last two centuries. The composition of stable oxygen isotopes (d18O) and strontium/calcium ratios (Sr:Ca) ratios of coral density bands will be obtained using mass spectrometers to reconstruct patterns of sea surface temperature and salinity. Additionally, growth patterns and luminescence peaks will be obtained through computed tomography (CT) scans and luminescence spectroscopy to reconstruct marine heat waves and extreme rainfall events. This interdisciplinary approach will enhance our understanding of environmental factors influencing coral growth, reveal relationships between climate and biology, and provide insights into past and present ocean-atmosphere interactions, including changes induced by AMOC in the ITCZ and SACZ dynamics.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

REIS-FILHO, JOSE AMORIM; CAVOLE, LETICIA MARIA; RENCK, VITOR; EGGERTSEN, LINDA; LOIOLA, MIGUEL; BENDER, MARIANA; GRAGNOLATI, MAISHA; GIARRIZZO, TOMMASO; EL-HANI, CHARBEL N.. Fisherwomen's activities are as complex, salient, and profitable as those performed by fishermen: A study from vulnerable traditional fishery communities. Fisheries Research, v. 286, p. 15-pg., 2025-05-03. (23/08372-6, 24/07003-0)