Giant clam shell records 200 years of Great Barrier Reef climate history
Researchers have analyzed a giant clam from the northern Great Barrier Reef to reconstruct monthly climate conditions over the last two centuries.
Shell layers reveal seasonal patterns
The creature's shell forms microscopic daily lines and broader annual bands as it grows. These layers function like tree rings to record dates and environmental chemistry. Scientists read these growth marks to determine past water temperatures.
Summer and winter temperature shifts
Data from the Jiigurru site shows pre-industrial summers were cooler than current conditions. Winter temperatures during that period remained surprisingly similar to today's readings. The study covers a span of two hundred years before industrial warming.
Location of the climate diary
The analysis focuses on the Lizard Island Group in the northern section of the reef. This specific location provided the material needed to build the monthly timeline. The research team used geochemistry to translate shell composition into climate data.
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