Articles | Volume 21, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-405-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-405-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
07 Feb 2025
Research article |
| 07 Feb 2025
| 07 Feb 2025
Impact of the Late Miocene Cooling on the loss of coral reefs in the Central Indo-Pacific
Benjamin F. Petrick
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Straße 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Lars Reuning
Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Straße 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Miriam Pfeiffer
Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Straße 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Gerald Auer
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Graz, NAWI Graz Geocenter, Heinrichstrasse 26, 8010 Graz, Austria
Lorenz Schwark
Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Ludewig-Meyn-Straße 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany
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Short summary
It is known that coral reefs were absent in the central Indo-Pacific during the Early Pliocene. This study uses a new temperature record based on TEX86H biomarkers from the Coral Sea between 11–2 Ma to show a 2 °C cooling in the central Indo-Pacific during the Late Miocene Cooling (7–5.4 Ma). This cooling triggered changes in terrestrial input, ocean circulation, and temperature. These multiple stressors could have caused reef collapses across the central Indo-Pacific.
It is known that coral reefs were absent in the central Indo-Pacific during the Early Pliocene....
