Potential climate signals from the deep-sea gorgonian coral Primnoa resedaeformis

The deep-sea gorgonian coral Primnoa resedaeformis has an arborescent skeleton composed of both calcite and a horn-like structural protein called gorgonin. We have investigated potential climate records in corals from Alaska, the eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States, and a Southern Ocean (Pacific sector) seamount. Temperatures at these sites range from 4 to ∼10 °C. δ18O values of the calcite show strong evidence for isotopic …