Porites sp. corals are a valuable source of proxy **data** for reconstructing changes in coastal oceanographic conditions as (1) they are relatively long-lived, allowing recovery of decadal to centennial scale records; (2) their yearly growth rate (5-15 mm/yr) allows for subannual resolution of proxy records; and (3) the physical characteristics and chemical composition of their skeleton respond to environmental changes. Investigation of coral skeletal δ 18 O has great value for understanding hydrological conditions and changes in paleomonsoon systems as its composition in coral skeleton is a function of both SST and the oxygen isotopic composition of the surrounding seawater (δ 18 O sw ; Corrège, 2006;Grottoli and Eakin, 2007). δ 18 O sw is closely related to the balance between precipitation and evaporation, and is influenced by continental runoff in coastal areas (Schmidt, 1998). Additionally, the skeletal luminescence displayed by Porites skeleton under UV light is related to the intensity of riverine flood events on the GBR (Lough et al., 2002).