Hetzinger et al. (2006) studied the geochemistry of the fast-growing Diploria strigosa, examining a 41-year record of geochemical variations. They were able to correlate specific geochemical changes in the coral with instrumental sea surface temperature (SST) on both monthly and mean annual time scales and with local air temperature on a mean annual scale.The geochemical coral proxies they used were highly correlated with annual and seasonal mean time series of major SST indices in the northern tropical Atlantic. Furthermore, the coral proxies capture the impact of the El Nino Southern Oscillation on the northern tropical Atlantic during boreal spring. Thus, Hetzinger et al. suggest that fast-growing Diploria strigosa corals are a promising new archive of historical climate data for the Atlantic Ocean.

Zamudio-Zamudio et al. (2003) analyzed the building materials used in the construction of building materials of the Fortress of San Juan de Ulua (16th century) and of the Portal de Miranda (18th century) in Veracruz City, Mexico. One of these materials, known as "mucara" stone, was analyzed by means of stereoscopic and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, neutron activation, atomic absorption spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, and thermogravimetry and was identified as the skeleton of the coral Diploria strigosa, whose main component is the mineral aragonite (a crytal form of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃). Many of the buildings in Veracruz City were built with mucara stone (Zamudio-Zamudio et al. 2003 and references therein).