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
Molecular fossils, mass extinctions and the rise of complex algae. This project aims to illuminate the fate and role of phytoplankton during the Permo-Triassic crisis, the most severe mass extinction event in Earth's history. Despite being the vital driving force of the carbon cycle, these microscopic yet essential organisms have largely evaded fossilization and their precise history remains unknown. Leveraging innovative molecular fossil technology, this project seeks to unlock this critical in ....Molecular fossils, mass extinctions and the rise of complex algae. This project aims to illuminate the fate and role of phytoplankton during the Permo-Triassic crisis, the most severe mass extinction event in Earth's history. Despite being the vital driving force of the carbon cycle, these microscopic yet essential organisms have largely evaded fossilization and their precise history remains unknown. Leveraging innovative molecular fossil technology, this project seeks to unlock this critical information, generating insights into the mechanisms behind climate-driven mass extinctions and the subsequent recovery of marine life. By doing so, this study aims to reveal how current disruptions to the base of the food chain may escalate through all levels of marine ecosystems, causing extinction.Read moreRead less
Diamonds - a window into the ancient mantle: the origin of Earth's atmosphere and outgassing of the mantle. The project will provide a better understanding of the mantle source regions of diamonds and, in particular, homogeneity/heterogeneity of the source regions as a function of space and time - potentially of economic significance for diamond exploration. The project will investigate the noble gas compositions of a systematic selection of diamonds of different ages and from different parts of ....Diamonds - a window into the ancient mantle: the origin of Earth's atmosphere and outgassing of the mantle. The project will provide a better understanding of the mantle source regions of diamonds and, in particular, homogeneity/heterogeneity of the source regions as a function of space and time - potentially of economic significance for diamond exploration. The project will investigate the noble gas compositions of a systematic selection of diamonds of different ages and from different parts of the mantle. Together with carbon and nitrogen isotope systematics, this information will be used to better constrain models of Earth outgassing and the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere and mantle.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883113
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperatures. Much of the Australian landscape is subject to a dry and evaporative climate, making it very difficult to use conventional geochemical techniques to estimate past temperatures, even on short timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The application of a new isotopic technique to preserved carbonate minerals (soil carbonate, shells in rivers, lakes and the ocean) avoids the difficulty of this variable evaporation, an ....A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperatures. Much of the Australian landscape is subject to a dry and evaporative climate, making it very difficult to use conventional geochemical techniques to estimate past temperatures, even on short timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The application of a new isotopic technique to preserved carbonate minerals (soil carbonate, shells in rivers, lakes and the ocean) avoids the difficulty of this variable evaporation, and directly measures past temperatures. This will have a profound effect on our understanding of environmental changes on both short and long time scales, and permit a better understanding of the hydrological balances within the landscape.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
Reconstruction of anoxic and toxic conditions in Australian lakes and ancient oceans. Sustainable water quality is a critically important issue for Australia's economic and social development. To be able to predict and plan the future of Australia's lakes and estuaries, it is crucial to understand their ecological past and to determine their state prior to and post-European settlement. This project develops and applies novel methodologies to reconstruct the history of cyanobacterial blooms, eutr ....Reconstruction of anoxic and toxic conditions in Australian lakes and ancient oceans. Sustainable water quality is a critically important issue for Australia's economic and social development. To be able to predict and plan the future of Australia's lakes and estuaries, it is crucial to understand their ecological past and to determine their state prior to and post-European settlement. This project develops and applies novel methodologies to reconstruct the history of cyanobacterial blooms, eutrophication and anoxia in Australian waterways. It will help to identify human impact on water quality. The new methodologies, applied to ancient sedimentary rocks, will also yield information about the effect of environmental changes on early life on Earth, enforcing Australia's position in the study of global geochemical cycles.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775533
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
A New Generation Noble Gas Mass Spectrometer Facility for Advanced Research in the Earth, Planetary and Environmental Sciences. The current proposal, to establish a new Noble Gas Analytical Consortium for noble gas chronological and geochemical analyses, will generate new knowledge on the evolution of the Earth, with profound implications for past climate change, landscape evolution, formation of ore bodies, and terrestrial geodynamics. Consequently, the facility will conform to the National Res ....A New Generation Noble Gas Mass Spectrometer Facility for Advanced Research in the Earth, Planetary and Environmental Sciences. The current proposal, to establish a new Noble Gas Analytical Consortium for noble gas chronological and geochemical analyses, will generate new knowledge on the evolution of the Earth, with profound implications for past climate change, landscape evolution, formation of ore bodies, and terrestrial geodynamics. Consequently, the facility will conform to the National Research Priority of 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia'. The new facility will ensure that Australian research remains at the forefront of international science development and will also provide essential training for the next generation of Australian scientists.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668345
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,700.00
Summary
A highly sensitive mass spectrometer for trace analysis of biomarker molecules to study changes in recent and ancient environments. Maintaining the quality of water and soil is a critically important issue for Australia's economic and social development. To be able to predict and plan the future of our natural assets, it is critical to understand their ecological past and their state before and after European settlement. We will utilize the new instrument to develop and apply innovative technolo ....A highly sensitive mass spectrometer for trace analysis of biomarker molecules to study changes in recent and ancient environments. Maintaining the quality of water and soil is a critically important issue for Australia's economic and social development. To be able to predict and plan the future of our natural assets, it is critical to understand their ecological past and their state before and after European settlement. We will utilize the new instrument to develop and apply innovative technologies providing Australia with new knowledge about the causes and effects of toxic cyanobacterial blooms, eutrophication, and contamination of reservoirs by bush-fires. The new facility will also supply advanced oil fingerprinting techniques to the petroleum industry minimizing exploration risk and increasing the chance of the discovery of new oil deposits.Read moreRead less
Toppling the Boring Billion: Biomarkers, orbital cycles and primordial life. This project aims to discover microbiological processes involved in ore formation in order to understand how zinc and lead minerals formed in the sediments of Australia’s ancient seas. The apparent ‘Boring Billion’ – the geological period 1800 to 800 million years ago – may have harboured seas of fluctuating colours. Fossil biomolecules, unearthed from 1.6 billion years old sediments, draw a picture of ancient seas osci ....Toppling the Boring Billion: Biomarkers, orbital cycles and primordial life. This project aims to discover microbiological processes involved in ore formation in order to understand how zinc and lead minerals formed in the sediments of Australia’s ancient seas. The apparent ‘Boring Billion’ – the geological period 1800 to 800 million years ago – may have harboured seas of fluctuating colours. Fossil biomolecules, unearthed from 1.6 billion years old sediments, draw a picture of ancient seas oscillating between blooms of purple and green bacteria, with waters rapidly alternating between toxic and sulphidic and rich in dissolved iron. Based on these observations, the project aims to discover the dynamic nature of primordial ecosystems, investigate how ancient seas were controlled by the Earth’s orbit around the sun, and explore how microorganisms may have formed the world’s largest zinc deposits.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560786
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$495,000.00
Summary
A ThermoFinnigan Triton high-sensitivity thermal ionisation mass spectrometer for constraining geoscience rates and environmental processes via Ra and Os analysis. The short-lived isotope 226Ra provides a powerful new tool for constraining the nature of melting and magma/fluid transport processes within the Earth. Conversely, Os isotopes can track ancient recycled components, core-mantle boundary interaction and date organic-rich sediments. The installation of a high-sensitivity thermal ionisati ....A ThermoFinnigan Triton high-sensitivity thermal ionisation mass spectrometer for constraining geoscience rates and environmental processes via Ra and Os analysis. The short-lived isotope 226Ra provides a powerful new tool for constraining the nature of melting and magma/fluid transport processes within the Earth. Conversely, Os isotopes can track ancient recycled components, core-mantle boundary interaction and date organic-rich sediments. The installation of a high-sensitivity thermal ionisation mass spectrometer at Macquarie University will enable research in these exciting endeavours and enhance a world-class analytical facility with widespread and lasting utility. Planned research will constrain deep earth processes, magma/water transport processes, magma-mantle/chromatography, volcanic hazards, ore deposit formation, controversial climatic models, soil erosion and early planet differentiation.Read moreRead less