Coral trace metal of natural and anthropogenic influences in the northern South China Sea

•Changes of trace metals in coral near Hainan Island are impacted by human activities.•All coral records of trace metals are impacted by terrestrial inputs except Sr and U.•Ba and REE in coastal seawater are dominated by the precipitation.

The composition and concentrations of trace metals in coastal seawater have changed in parallel with variations in geochemical processes, climate and anthropogenic activities. To evaluate the response of trace metals in coastal seawater to climatic changes and human disturbances, we report annual-resolution trace element data for a Porites coral core covering ~ 100 years of continuous growth from a fringing reef in Xiaodonghai Bay in the northern South China Sea. The results suggested that the trace metal contents in the coral skeleton demonstrated decadal to interdecadal fluctuations with several large or small peaks in certain years with remarkable environmental significances. All of the trace metals in coastal surface seawater, especially Cr and Pb (related to industrial or traffic emissions), were impacted by terrestrial inputs, except for Sr and U, which were impacted by the surface seawater temperature (SST). Moreover, Mn, Ni, Fe and Co were also contributed by weapons and military supplies during wars, and Cu, Cd and Zn were further impacted by upwelling associated with their biogeochemical cycles. Ba and rare earth element (REE) in coastal surface seawater were dominated by runoff and groundwater discharge associated with precipitation. This study provided the potential for some trace metals (e.g., REE, Ba, Cu, Cd, and Zn) in coral skeletons to be used as proxies of natural (e.g., upwelling and precipitation) and anthropogenic (e.g., war and coastal construction) variability of seawater chemistry to enable the reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes through time.

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