造礁珊瑚骨骼一般呈年周期性带状生长,生长特征变化与周边环境有密切关系,具有重要的环境指示意义。本文依据珊瑚骨骼生长带 X 射线成像原理,利用计算机的数字化和影像处理功能,提出了珊瑚骨骼生长带数字影像分析的方法,能获得较传统方法更高分辨率和精度的珊瑚生长信息。利用该方法提取了海南岛三亚湾滨珊瑚骨骼月尺度的生长密度、生长率的变化序列,并探讨了生长密度、生长率的变化特征及其与主要环境因素的关系。
The time series of annual and seasonal growth rate of two coral Porites, collected at different sites of fringe reef in the Sanya Bay, Hainan Island have been obtained by analyzing X-radiograph of skeletal band. There are obvious seasonal variations of the growth rate in two corals, the average low rate in winter and the average high rate from spring to autumn. Compared with the time series of environmental variables, the coral growth rate is only correlated statistically with seawater temperature and not related to rainfall and sunshine. Furthermore, the growth rate in spring and summer is correlated directly with seawater temperature of the winter-early spring ( between December and March ) and the other seasonal growth rate has no relationship with seasonal variations of seawater temperature. We propose that seawater temperature is one of the factors affecting the coral growth rate in the area and the low seawater temperature is a primary control of the seasonal growth rate.
According to the field survey and ^14C dating at Luhuitou, southern Hainan Island, a subsiding area, the authors conclude the high sea level history recorded by coral reef in the Holocene. At least 4 sea level high-stands can be identified from the distribution of coral reef ages： 7300 - 6000 cal.aBP, 4800 - 4700 cal.aBP, 4300 - 4200 cal.aBP and 3100 - 2900 cal.aBP. The highest sea level occurred around 7300 - 6700 cal.aBP, and biological-morphological zones took their shape during the stage. The later coral reefs developed in ponds, depressions, and developed outwards on both sides of Luhuitou peninsula. The modern coral reefs are developing in out reef flat and reef-front slope. Moreover, the time of high sea levels in the northern South China Sea recorded by coral reefs in the Luhuitou peninsula can link up with that in other parts of South China Sea. That means the high sea levels in the South China Sea during the Holocene, which are relative to the warming climate, have the global background.
