Untangling the links between El Nino and the changing global climate. Australia is a country of 'drought and flooding rain', and a key factor governing these cycles is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Our project will provide the following benefits to the nation (i) increased understanding of ENSO variability; (ii) increased knowledge of the extremes of ENSO; (iii) insights into what causes ENSO to vary; and (iv) improved ability to forecast ENSO. Understanding ENSO is essential for anti ....Untangling the links between El Nino and the changing global climate. Australia is a country of 'drought and flooding rain', and a key factor governing these cycles is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Our project will provide the following benefits to the nation (i) increased understanding of ENSO variability; (ii) increased knowledge of the extremes of ENSO; (iii) insights into what causes ENSO to vary; and (iv) improved ability to forecast ENSO. Understanding ENSO is essential for anticipating changes in drought and rain in the future. This understanding will help us to adapt Australia's valuable agricultural and farming industries to climate change, and to manage our precious water resources.Read moreRead less
Australian dust: its response to, and role in, climate change. Atmospheric dust plumes can affect global climate, but the impact of Australian dust on climate is poorly known even though it is a major dust source. This project will study the magnetism of dust deposits in marine sediments to understand how Australian dust influences climate in order to better predict the influence of humans on future climate.
Precise constraints on the timing and nature of late Quaternary glacial-interglacial climatic transitions in the Southwest Pacific region. An accurate understanding of major climatic transitions during the recent geological past is critical to efforts to understand global climate. This project seeks to investigate precisely when the most recent ice ages began and ended in the Southwest Pacific region relative to other regions of the world, by examining chemical and isotopic records contained in ....Precise constraints on the timing and nature of late Quaternary glacial-interglacial climatic transitions in the Southwest Pacific region. An accurate understanding of major climatic transitions during the recent geological past is critical to efforts to understand global climate. This project seeks to investigate precisely when the most recent ice ages began and ended in the Southwest Pacific region relative to other regions of the world, by examining chemical and isotopic records contained in New Zealand cave deposits. Using state-of-the-art analytical technology, precisely dated records of glacier activity and environmental change will be produced.Read moreRead less
SEA LEVELS, SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND EL NINO VARIABILITY DURING WARM INTERGLACIATIONS. Sea levels, sea surface temperatures and the variability of El Niño will be determined for previous warm interglacial periods using well dated, stratigraphically controlled fossil corals preserved in uplifted reefs. Relationships between past changes in sea level and warmer ocean temperatures will provide insights into the response of sea level to global warming. Knowledge of the frequency and amplitude o ....SEA LEVELS, SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND EL NINO VARIABILITY DURING WARM INTERGLACIATIONS. Sea levels, sea surface temperatures and the variability of El Niño will be determined for previous warm interglacial periods using well dated, stratigraphically controlled fossil corals preserved in uplifted reefs. Relationships between past changes in sea level and warmer ocean temperatures will provide insights into the response of sea level to global warming. Knowledge of the frequency and amplitude of El Nino events that occurred during previous interglacial warm periods will provide a better understanding of processes controlling extreme events in the climate system.Read moreRead less
Are humans responsible for recent changes in the behaviour of tropical cyclones? Decoupling natural variability from human influence using isotopes. An increase in the frequency of intense landfalling tropical cyclones will have a major impact upon Australia's economy and the safety of its citizens and visitors. There is little doubt that global climate change will cause this increase. Understanding when this might occur and the extent of this change over and above that which could also occur na ....Are humans responsible for recent changes in the behaviour of tropical cyclones? Decoupling natural variability from human influence using isotopes. An increase in the frequency of intense landfalling tropical cyclones will have a major impact upon Australia's economy and the safety of its citizens and visitors. There is little doubt that global climate change will cause this increase. Understanding when this might occur and the extent of this change over and above that which could also occur naturally will help reduce economic loss and save peoples' lives. Using isotope records of tropical cyclones and global climate models we will differentiate natural from human induced changes and ascertain the likely future impact of this hazard on Australia and its near neighbours.Read moreRead less
Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the ....Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the Warm Pool, and determine changing rainfall patterns and, ENSO and monsoon behaviour under climate conditions that lie outside modern records. This information is vital for understanding past climate and predicting the future intensity and frequency of El-Niño related drought and wet cycles in Australia.Read moreRead less
UPTAKE OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 IN THE OCEANS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE: NEW PROXY DEVELOPMENTS. This project aims to quantify the response of the oceans to increasing atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic production. This will be achieved by using newly developed paleoceanographic indicators in deep sea sediments, corals and coralline sponges. These will be used to evaluate changes in seawater acidity and the response of the oceans to past variations in atmospheric CO2. The capacity and role o ....UPTAKE OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 IN THE OCEANS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE: NEW PROXY DEVELOPMENTS. This project aims to quantify the response of the oceans to increasing atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic production. This will be achieved by using newly developed paleoceanographic indicators in deep sea sediments, corals and coralline sponges. These will be used to evaluate changes in seawater acidity and the response of the oceans to past variations in atmospheric CO2. The capacity and role of the oceans to buffer the rise of atmospheric of CO2 will be ascertained. This will provide constraints on the impact of increased seawater acidity on coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef.Read moreRead less
The key role of the Southern Ocean in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The integrated approach proposed in this study aims to quantify past changes in marine productivity and its role in controlling past atmospheric CO2 variations. This will be achieved by studying deep sea sediments from the Southern Ocean, a key area with a fundamental importance in the global ocean biological pump. This research will enhance our understanding of the linkages connecting marine biota, the ocean carbon cycle and g ....The key role of the Southern Ocean in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The integrated approach proposed in this study aims to quantify past changes in marine productivity and its role in controlling past atmospheric CO2 variations. This will be achieved by studying deep sea sediments from the Southern Ocean, a key area with a fundamental importance in the global ocean biological pump. This research will enhance our understanding of the linkages connecting marine biota, the ocean carbon cycle and global climate, providing the basis for more reliable predictions about the impacts of the recent rapid atmospheric CO2 increase. Possible remediation solutions involving marine phytoplankton to this CO2 excess will be thoroughly assessed.Read moreRead less
MILLENIAL-SCALE INSTABILITY OF SEA LEVEL AND THE CLIMATE SYSTEM: NEW ANALYSIS OF CORAL TERRACES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Northern hemisphere climates switched repeatedly and abruptly between cold and warm states during the ice ages. This unexplained finding poses uncertainties about future climate. The exact chronology of past sea level and climatic changes is a key to the problem: this project aims to establish precise chronology through re-analysis of coral terraces at Huon Peninsula, PNG. New U-s ....MILLENIAL-SCALE INSTABILITY OF SEA LEVEL AND THE CLIMATE SYSTEM: NEW ANALYSIS OF CORAL TERRACES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Northern hemisphere climates switched repeatedly and abruptly between cold and warm states during the ice ages. This unexplained finding poses uncertainties about future climate. The exact chronology of past sea level and climatic changes is a key to the problem: this project aims to establish precise chronology through re-analysis of coral terraces at Huon Peninsula, PNG. New U-series dating methods will give an accurately-timed record of sea level changes, which will be tightly locked to marine-sediment records of climatic change, by using sharp changes in atmospheric radiocarbon as universal marker horizons.Read moreRead less
Are subterranean estuaries a source or sink of greenhouse gases? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of subterranean estuaries and submarine groundwater discharge on the marine cycle of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The expected outcome of this project is a better understanding of the role of coastal environments as a net source or sink of greenhouse gases.