Nitrogen isotopic records of terrestrial pollution encoded in Floridian and Bahamian gorgonian corals

Stable nitrogen isotope (δ(15)N) analysis has proven an effective "fingerprint" of sewage contamination in coral reef environments; however, short-term variability in nitrogen cycling and isotopic fractionation may obscure long-term trends. Here, we examine δ(15)N signatures in the organic endoskeletons of long-lived (20-40 years) gorgonian corals. Specimens were collected from relatively pristine reefs off Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, and from reefs off southeast Florida heavily impacted by multiple sources of anthropogenic nitrogen.

This document is the accepted manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Environmental Science & Technology after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es9018404. This article may be cited as: Sherwood, O. A., Lapointe, B. E., Risk, M. J., & Jamieson, R. E. (2010). Nitrogen isotopic records of terrestrial pollution encoded in Floridian and Bahamian gorgonian corals. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(3), 874-880. doi:10.1021/es9018404

Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #1798.