Sr/Ca, oxygen isotope, and linear extension data for five Holocene Orbicella faveolata corals from Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys, Florida, USA

Frequently anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How might this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How might this data set be cited?
   Jacobs, Jessica A., Richey, Julie N., Flannery, Jennifer A., and Toth, Lauren T., 20250131, Sr/Ca, oxygen isotope, and linear extension data for five Holocene Orbicella faveolata corals from Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys, Florida, USA:.

   This is part of the following larger work.
   Jacobs, Jessica A., Richey, Julie N., Flannery, Jennifer A., and Toth, Lauren T., 20250131, Sr/Ca, Oxygen Isotope, and Linear Extension Data for Five Holocene Orbicella faveolata Corals From Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys, Florida, USA: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P1TCYNHY, U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.5066/P1TCYNHY

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -82.9700
   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -82.4166
   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 24.7200
   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 24.5400
   Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Dry Tortugas National Park and Marquesas Keys
   

3. What does it look like?
4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Calendar_Date: 2013

   Currentness_Reference:

   publication date

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
   

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      
   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      
7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.csv, Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.xlsx

   Data files (.csv and .xlsx) of the Sr/Ca subannual values for five mid-to-late Holocene Orbicella faveolata corals. (Source: USGS)

   Time (years)

   Year in the format of YY.XXX for the subannual Sr/Ca data for the coral core. (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.042
   Maximum:	56.958
   Units:	Decimal Year

   6.7 ka (PL1) Subannual Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Subannual Sr/Ca millimole per mole (mmol/mol) values for coral core PL1 (6.7 ka) (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	9.028
   Maximum:	9.579
   Units:	mmol/mol

   6.6 ka (FJ) Subannual Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Subannual Sr/Ca millimole per mole (mmol/mol) values for coral core FJ (6.6 ka) (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	8.92
   Maximum:	9.571
   Units:	mmol/mol

   5.8 ka (PL2) Subannual Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Subannual Sr/Ca millimole per mole (mmol/mol) values for coral core PL2 (5.8 ka) (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	8.8
   Maximum:	9.577
   Units:	mmol/mol

   3.6 ka (NG) Subannual Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Subannual Sr/Ca millimole per mole (mmol/mol) values for coral core NG (3.6 ka) (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	9.071
   Maximum:	9.829
   Units:	mmol/mol

   2.6 ka (PN) Subannual Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Subannual Sr/Ca millimole per mole (mmol/mol) values for coral core PN (2.6 ka) (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	8.939
   Maximum:	9.789
   Units:	mmol/mol

   Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.csv, Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.xlsx

   Data files (.csv and .xlsx) of the linear extension rates for five mid-to-late Holocene Orbicella faveolata corals. (Source: USGS)

   Year

   Year in the format of YY for annual linear extension data for the coral core. (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	1
   Maximum:	57
   Units:	Year

   6.7 ka (PL1) Linear Extension (cm/yr)

   Annual linear extension rates for coral core PL1 (6.7 ka) in centimeters per year (cm/yr). (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.25
   Maximum:	0.8
   Units:	cm/yr

   6.6 ka (FJ) Linear Extension (cm/yr)

   Annual linear extension rates for coral core FJ (6.6 ka) in centimeters per year (cm/yr). (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.45
   Maximum:	1.0
   Units:	cm/yr

   5.8 ka (PL2) Linear Extension (cm/yr)

   Annual linear extension rates for coral core PL2 (5.8 ka) in centimeters per year (cm/yr). (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.4
   Maximum:	1.15
   Units:	cm/yr

   3.6 ka (NG) Linear Extension (cm/yr)

   Annual linear extension rates for coral core NG (3.6 ka) in centimeters per year (cm/yr). (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.25
   Maximum:	1.1
   Units:	cm/yr

   2.6 ka (PN) Linear Extension (cm/yr)

   Annual linear extension rates for coral core PN (2.6 ka) in centimeters per year (cm/yr). (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.25
   Maximum:	1.05
   Units:	cm/yr

   Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.csv, Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.xlsx

   Data files (.csv and .xlsx) of the paired raw Sr/Ca and δ¹⁸O data for five mid-to-late Holocene Orbicella faveolata corals. (Source: USGS)

   Core

   Coral age and identifier (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   6.6 ka (FJ)	The coral FJ (6.6 ka age).
   5.8 ka (PL2)	The coral PL2 (5.8 ka age).

   Sample ID

   Unique sample ID for paired Sr/Ca and δ¹⁸O data. (Source: USGS) Full sample identifier for coral FJ (FJS-R-2) and PL2 (C-2017-DT-PL-2-18-1). Each sample identifier is followed by a three-digit number (i.e., #280). An asterisk following this number denotes averaged value of replicate samples.

   Sr/Ca (mmol/mol)

   Raw Sr/Ca value in millimole per mole (mmol/mol). (Source: USGS)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	8.898
   Maximum:	9.506

   δ¹⁸O (‰, VPDB)

   Raw δ¹⁸O value in per mil notation relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite scale (‰, VPDB). (Source: USGS)

   Value	Definition
   nd	No Data

   Range of values
   Minimum:	-4.810
   Maximum:	-2.451
   Units:	per mil

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Jessica A. Jacobs
   • Julie N. Richey
   • Jennifer A. Flannery
   • Lauren T. Toth
2. Who also contributed to the data set?
   USGS coral core collection efforts were made possible with permission from the National Park Service and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Jessica A. Jacobs

   U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   Saint Petersburg, Florida
   

   USA

   727-502-8041 (voice)

   jajacobs@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 30-Jul-2021 (process 1 of 3)

   The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected the coral cores used in this study in Dry Tortugas and Marquesas Keys between 1976 and 2017 using a rotary corer. Additional information on coral core collection can be found in Hickey and others (2013) and Toth and others (2018). Subsampling of the coral colonies was completed using a tri-axial micromill with a 0.5 millimeter (mm) forward increment, 2.25 mm cut depth, and a 0.5 mm drill bit along a continuous thecal wall. Between 88 and 237 micrograms (μg) of subsampled skeletal powder was weighed out for each sample from each of the coral colonies and acidified using ultrapure 2% nitric acid to obtain sample solutions with a target calcium concentration of 20 parts per million. A PerkinElmer (PE) 7300 dual view inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES; for samples analyzed before March 2022) and a PE Avio 550 ICP-OES (for samples analyzed after March 2022) were used to make the Sr/Ca determinations (Jacobs and others, 2025). The resulting Sr/Ca data were converted into SST using the calibration equation from Flannery and others (2018). Data from this analysis were compiled into a comma-separated values file (.csv) and Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx) and are published with this release. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jessica A. Jacobs

   U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   USA

   727-502-8041 (voice)

   jajacobs@usgs.gov

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.csv
   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.xlsx

   Date: 16-Nov-2023 (process 2 of 3)

   Sr/Ca annual cycles were used to compute annual linear extension rates by measuring the distance between each summer peak. Data from this computation were compiled into a comma-separated values file (.csv) and Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx) and are published with this release. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Jessica A. Jacobs

   U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Physical Scientist

   600 4th Street South

   St. Petersburg, FL
   

   USA

   727-502-8041 (voice)

   jajacobs@usgs.gov

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.csv
   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.xlsx

   Date: 02-Aug-2022 (process 3 of 3)

   Select Sr/Ca sample splits (FJ and PL2 corals only) were sent for oxygen isotope analysis at the Paleo² Laboratory at the University of Arizona using a MAT 253+ Mass Spectrometer coupled to a Kiel IV Carbonate Device (Jacobs and others, 2025). Data from this analysis were compiled into a comma-separated values file (.csv) and Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx) and are published with this release. Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Kaustubh Thirumalai

   University of Arizona – Department of Geosciences

   1040 E. 4th Street, #521

   Tucson, AZ
   

   USA

   520-626-2236 (voice)

   kaustubh@arizona.edu

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.csv
   • Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.xlsx

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
   Jacobs, Jessica A., Richey, Julie N., Flannery, Jennifer A., Thirumalai, Kaustubh, and Toth, Lauren T., 20250128, Snapshots of Holocene sea-surface temperature variability from a subtropical western Atlantic coral reef: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 112777, Elsevier, Online.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.112777

   Flannery, Jennifer A., Richey, Julie N., Toth, Lauren T., Kuffner, Ilsa B., and Poore, Richard Z., 20180706, Quantifying uncertainty in Sr/Ca‐based estimates of SST from the coral Orbicella faveolata: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Volume 33, Issue 9, American Geophysical Union, Online.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1029/2018PA003389

   Other_Citation_Details: Pages 958-973
   

   Hickey, Todd D., Reich, Christopher D., DeLong, Kristine L., Poore, Richard Z., and Brock, John C., 2013, Holocene core logs and site methods for modern reef and head-coral cores: Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1095, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20121095

   Other_Citation_Details: 27 pages
   

   Toth, Lauren T., Kuffner, Ilsa B., Stathakopoulos, Anastasios, and Shinn, Eugene A., 20180821, A 3,000-year lag between the geological and ecological shutdown of Florida’s coral reefs: Global Change Biology Volume 24, Issue 11, Wiley Online Library, Hoboken, New Jersey.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14389

   Other_Citation_Details: Pages 5471-5483
   

   Schrag, Daniel P., 199904, Rapid analysis of high-precision Sr/Ca ratios in corals and other marine carbonates: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Volume 14, Issue 2, American Geophysical Union, Online.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1029/1998PA900025

   Other_Citation_Details: Pages 97-102
   

   Hathorne, Ed C., Gagnon, Alex, Felis, Thomas, Adkins, Jess, Asami, Ryuji, and others, and, 20130725, Interlaboratory study for coral Sr/Ca and other element/Ca ratio measurements: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Volume 14, Issue 9, American Geophysical Union, online.

   Online Links:

   • https://doi.org/10.1002/ggge.20230

   Other_Citation_Details: Pages 3730-3750
   

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

1. How well have the observations been checked?
   Sr/Ca data were determined using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emissions Spectrometer (ICP-OES) that had been calibrated using trace metal grade single-element standards and nitric acid (Jacobs and others, 2025). Analyses were completed once initial sample run calibrations of low, intermediate, and high concentration solutions passed with a calibration coefficient of >0.999 (out of 1.0) between analyte concentration and instrument intensity. Coral sample Sr/Ca data were corrected for drift using an internal gravimetric standard (IGS) method from Schrag (1999). Average IGS precision for all sample runs is 0.011 millimole per mole. Additionally, ICP-OES performances were compared with other laboratories by analyzing the JCp-1 standard after Hathorne and others (2013) and were determined to be within error of the mean values established in the publication. For oxygen isotope samples, the external standard IAEA-603 was analyzed (n=160) and the precision was 0.05‰ for delta-Oxygen-18 (δ¹⁸O), which is consistent with the long-term precision of this setup (0.06‰). Replicate sample results for δ¹⁸O were averaged prior to publishing.
2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
   No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
   No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
   Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
   Coral Sr/Ca samples were created with a target calcium concentration of 20 parts per million (ppm). Data were considered valid if calcium concentrations were between 10-30 ppm and values were within 2 standard deviations of the sample run mean. Additionally, multiple corallite paths were sampled to overlap at least five years of data from each coral. Data from overlapping paths were averaged to ensure reproducibility.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   
   U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

   Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management

   600 4th Street South

   Saint Petersburg, FL
   

   United States

   727-502-8000 (voice)

   gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.csv. Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa.xlsx, Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.csv, Mid-to-late_Holocene_LinExt.xlsx, Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.csv, Mid-to-late_Holocene_paired_18O_SrCa.xlsx
3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
   Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	comma-delimited text, Microsoft Excel format
     Network links:	https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/data-release/doi-P1TCYNHY/data/Mid-to-late_Holocene_SrCa_LinExt_18O.zip

   • Cost to order the data: None

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 31-Jan-2025

Metadata author:

U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management

600 4th Street South

Saint Petersburg, FL

United States

727-502-8000 (voice)

gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:

FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001.1-1999)