Synopsis
Understanding how climate and environmental conditions have changed in the past provides important context for predicting how Earth’s climate may respond in the future.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an important part of the global climate system. It is a key climate ‘tipping element’ – if it weakens or collapses, it could cause major changes around the world. The impact of this on the Indian Ocean and Western Australia is not well understood.
This project will investigate naturally occurring abrupt climate changes during the Last Glacial Period (115,000 – 11,500 years ago), to understand how the climate of Western Australia and the wider Indian Ocean region responded when the AMOC weakened.
Palaeoclimate reconstructions will be produced from cave stalagmites. Stalagmites form slowly, layer by layer. As they grow, they preserve chemical markers that reflect rainfall, temperature and vegetation conditions outside the cave.
Aims
This project aims to produce new palaeoclimate records of the Last Glacial Period using cave stalagmites from Western Australia. This will help us to understand how the Indian Ocean region responded to past abrupt climate events, when AMOC weakened naturally.
Student benefits
- Direct scholarships are available for this project.
- Develop laboratory skills including sample preparation and geochemical analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry.
- Develop data analysis and interpretation skills, with a focus on time series analysis.
- Establish disciplinary expertise in palaeoclimatology, geochemistry, geochronology and speleothem science.
- Opportunities may be available to complete fieldwork in caves and karst environments.
- Generate data about the past – pretty close to time travel!
Students should ideally have completed some Earth Science or Geography courses. Completion of GEOS3761 Environmental Change would provide a strong background in palaeoclimatology but is not essential.
Supervisor: Ellen Corrick
Get involved
To learn more about this project, contact Ellen Corrick
E: e.corrick@unsw.edu.au