Presented on August 28, 2024, by

Dr. Nicole K. Murray
Postdoctoral Researcher
Karamperidou Lab
Atmospheric Sciences
University of Hawaii at Manoa

ABSTRACT

Tropical Pacific seawater and precipitation stable oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) data record distinct oceanic and atmospheric processes in a region where local hydroclimate variability amounts to changes in global climate. These data provide further utility as long-term stable oxygen isotope data record ocean-atmospheric interactions across the tropical Pacific and these processes are archived in isotope-based paleoclimate proxy records. There is growing interest in interpreting western Pacific oxygen isotope data as information on past ENSO variability; however, modern δ 18 O records are often too short to disentangle the competing influences of oceanic and atmospheric processes or to parse a robust ENSO signal. In this talk, I will present 10 years of precipitation and seawater δ 18 O data from Koror, Palau, and show that both are influenced by ENSO variability over the observation period. This talk will cover the regional climate variability driving this isotope signal and discuss subsequent implications for paleoclimate records from the western tropical Pacific.

BIO

Nicole K. Murray is a postdoctoral researcher in the Karamperidou lab at UH Manoa. Her work has focused on tropical Pacific hydroclimate, paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, and using stable isotope records to understand past environments. Currently, her research interests include Pacific equatorial undercurrent variability and its influences on tropical climate, as well as regional hydroclimate phenomena (e.g. fog/garúa in Galápagos). She is a member of the Island Systems Integration Consortium for the Galápagos Islands, which works to develop interdisciplinary work in climate science, geology, and biology. Nicole received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.