DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18t8
title: Data from: Mid-Late Holocene coral calcification dynamics: Deciphering climatic and environmental effects

description: Over the past four decades, a marked decrease in coral calcification has
 occurred across the world's tropical reefs, closely linked to climate
 change and human-activity impacts. However, how natural and human-induced
 factors influence coral calcification remains unclear due to a limited
 understanding of the geological past. This study addresses this gap by
 investigating the calcification parameters of 82 Porites corals
 from the northern South China Sea, with growth periods covering distinct
 climatic epochs during the Mid-Late Holocene, including the Holocene
 Climate Optimum, 4.2 ka BP event, Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice
 Age, and Current Warm Period. Our findings show a gradual
 increase in coral skeletal density towards the
 present, and varied linear extension and calcification rates between warm
 and cold phases and between pre- and post-industrial periods. This
 suggests that temperature plays a pivotal role in controlling coral
 calcification, with contingent influences from volcanic activity and solar
 radiation. Notably, the linear extension and calcification rates were
 significantly reduced during the Current Warm Period, suggesting a
 surpassing impact of contemporary human activities over the natural
 variability on coral calcification. This raises concerns about the
 prospects of coral reefs in the face of ongoing climate change and
 increasing human-activity impacts.
description: # Data from: Mid-Late Holocene coral calcification dynamics: Deciphering
 climatic and environmental effects
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18t8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qbzkh18t8)   Guangchao Deng^1, 2^, Xuefei Chen^1*^, Wenfeng Deng^1^, Huiling Kang^1^, Jian-xin Zhao^3^, Gangjian Wei^1*^ 1 State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China 2 College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 3 Radiogenic Isotope Facility, School of Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Queensland, Australia This dataset consists of DataSet__Proceedings_B.xlsx which represent coral skeletal growth parameters extracted from nearshore reef-building corals located on the eastern coast of Hainan Island. The parameters include linear extension rate, skeletal density, and calcification rate, covering a time span from 5379 to 1047 years before present (yr BP). Details for each dataset are provided in the README file. Each coral sample is provided as an individual data group (50 groups total). For each group, the dataset includes: 1\) Sample ID: Unique identifier of the coral sample (14OC01, 14OC02, 14FJ03, 14FJ04, 14FJ06, 14FJ07, 14FJ08, 14FJ09, 14FJ10, 14FJ11, 14FJ12, 14FJ13 to 17, 14QG01, 14QG03, 14QG04, 14QG05, 14QG06, 14QG07, 14QG08 to 14, 15BA03, 15WC02 to 14, 16 to 20, 17FJ04, 17QG01) 2\) Age (yr BP): Growth age derived from U-Th dating and annual band counting. 3\) Linear extension rate (cm yr⁻¹): Annual skeletal extension along the growth axis. 4\) Skeletal density (g cm⁻³): Density of the coral aragonitic skeleton. 5\) Calcification rate (g cm⁻² yr⁻¹): Annual coral calcification (product of extension and density).