LAUSR

Exploiting the chemical and growth properties of otoliths, this study demonstrates how environmental archives with high temporal resolution can be developed. Elemental profiles (Ba:Ca and Sr:Ca) of fish otoliths (ear bones) from the estuarine species Acanthopagrus butcheri (black bream) were related to growth increments on a seasonal time scale. A series of mixed effects models were used to investigate biological, temporal, and environmental factors influencing seasonal otolith elemental profiles. Resultant seasonally resolved chemical chronologies were correlated with environmental data (i.e., salinity) to develop an element–salinity regression function, which when fit to an independently derived chemical chronology showed strong agreement between reconstructed and recorded salinities. Support for the element–salinity regression function through independent verification provided confidence in environmental reconstructions derived from an archaeological otolith. This suggests otoliths can be used to recon...