Professor Helen Bostock
Professor

Helen Bostock

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56082

Background

My research focuses on oceanography and paleoceanography of the oceans around Australia. I use stable isotopes (oxygen, carbon), geochemical tracers, sedimentology and microfossils to understand the present and past changes in ocean chemistry to reconstruct ocean circulation (changes in ocean currents and fronts) and its relationship to global climate. I am particularly interested in understanding past changes in the Great Barrier Reef, and at the other extreme past changes in processe at the Antarctic Margin. I am also interested in mapping marine sediment distribution, sediment transport processes, marine geomorphology, marine microplastic pollution, and multidisciplinary topics such as ocean acidification (the uptake of CO2 by the oceans) and blue carbon and climate change in the oceans (marine heat waves, sea level rise). I have participated in a number of research voyages on open ocean vessels including the RV Tangaroa and RV Investigator, including several as lead or co-lead scientist. I am involved in the Australian-New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program.

Prior to joining the University of Queensland in July 2019 I previously worked in government research institutes including Geoscience Australia (2004-2006) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand (2006-2019; now renamed as Earth Sciences New Zealand).

Availability

Professor Helen Bostock is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Chemical oceanography Earth Sciences Oceanography

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Research interests

  • Past changes in the Southern Ocean

    I am interested in past changes in ocean circulation in the Southern Ocean over glacial/interglacial timescales (1000s-100,000s years). I use proxy evidence from sedimentary characteristics, microfossil assemblages, stable isotopes (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and boron), elemental variations from a latitudinal transect of marine sediment cores from the subtropical waters of the southwest Pacific to the continental margin of Antarctica. I try to reconstruct changes in temperature, biological productivity, changes in water masses, ocean currents and fronts, sea ice, ice sheet retreat, and how all these different processes are linked to global climate.

  • Geological history of the Great Barrier Reef

    I am interested in the initiation and development of the Great Barrier Reef using proxies (sedimentology, microfossil assemblages, stable isotopes, geochemistry) from marine sediment cores offshore. The aim is to understand the timing of the reef development, but also to understand the broader regional ocean circulation of the Coral Sea over glacial/interglacial timescales (1000s-100,000s-1,000,000 years).

  • The carbon cycle in the ocean and ocean acidification

    I look at the geochemistry of the water column, primarily the carbonate chemistry and carbon isotopes, to understand changes in the ocean carbon cycle over recent decades due to the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere. This results in a decline in the pH in the ocean, a process known as ocean acidification. I also work with collaborators using Boron isotopes of microfossils in marine sediment cores to understand how pH and carbonate concentrations have changed over glacial/interglacial timescales.

  • Sedimentary processes in the ocean

    I look at the distribution of sediment in the marine environment from coastal to the deep ocean. The sediment type is dependent on the local source from nearby rivers, as well as biological productivity (e.g. shells and skeletons) and authigenic sediment (geochemically precipitated out of the seawater). Sediment is redistributed by gravity and ocean currents. The distribution of sediment in the marine environment is important to determine marine benthic (seafloor) habitats. The recurrence of gravity transported sediment (called turbidites or debrites) along tectonically active continental margins has been used to study the frequency of large earthquakes.

Research impacts

My research focuses on Oceans and Climate and ranges from the fundamental science to the applied research problems. Several of my research projects link to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Climate change (SDG13) and Life below water (SDG14). I have published over 100 peer reviewed papers, and several of these papers have been cited in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports, and other UN reports. I have also written and contributed to a range of government reports for the New Zealand government and the Australian Coastal Cooperative Research Centre (OzCoasts).

Search Professor Helen Bostock’s works on UQ eSpace

112 works between 2004 and 2025
All (112) Journal Article (104) Conference Publication (5) Book Chapter (3)

21 - 40 of 112 works

2022

Journal Article

Trench floor depositional response to glacio-eustatic changes over the last 45 ka, northern Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand

Woodhouse, Adam, Barnes, Philip M., Shorrock, Anthony, Strachan, Lorna J., Crundwell, Martin, Bostock, Helen C., Hopkins, Jenni, Kutterolf, Steffen, Pank, Katharina, Behrens, Erik, Greve, Annika, Bell, Rebecca, Cook, Ann, Petronotis, Katerina, LeVay, Leah, Jamieson, Robert A., Aze, Tracy, Wallace, Laura, Saffer, Demian and Pecher, Ingo (2022). Trench floor depositional response to glacio-eustatic changes over the last 45 ka, northern Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 67 (3), 1-24. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2022.2099432

Trench floor depositional response to glacio-eustatic changes over the last 45 ka, northern Hikurangi subduction margin, New Zealand

2022

Journal Article

World Atlas of late Quaternary Foraminiferal Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Ratios

Mulitza, Stefan, Bickert, Torsten, Bostock, Helen C., Chiessi, Cristiano M., Donner, Barbara, Govin, Aline, Harada, Naomi, Huang, Enqing, Johnstone, Heather, Kuhnert, Henning, Langner, Michael, Lamy, Frank, Lembke-Jene, Lester, Lisiecki, Lorraine, Lynch-Stieglitz, Jean, Max, Lars, Mohtadi, Mahyar, Mollenhauer, Gesine, Muglia, Juan, Nuernberg, Dirk, Paul, Andre, Ruehlemann, Carsten, Repschlaeger, Janne, Saraswat, Rajeev, Schmittner, Andreas, Sikes, Elisabeth L., Spielhagen, Robert F. and Tiedemann, Ralf (2022). World Atlas of late Quaternary Foraminiferal Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Ratios. Earth System Science Data, 14 (6), 2553-2611. doi: 10.5194/essd-14-2553-2022

World Atlas of late Quaternary Foraminiferal Oxygen and Carbon Isotope Ratios

2022

Journal Article

Examining the effects of chemical cleaning, leaching, and partial dissolution on zinc and cadmium isotope fractionation in marine carbonates

Druce, Matthew, Stirling, Claudine H., Bostock, Helen C. and Rolison, John M. (2022). Examining the effects of chemical cleaning, leaching, and partial dissolution on zinc and cadmium isotope fractionation in marine carbonates. Chemical Geology, 592 120738, 120738. doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.120738

Examining the effects of chemical cleaning, leaching, and partial dissolution on zinc and cadmium isotope fractionation in marine carbonates

2022

Journal Article

Sea ice changes in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean during the last 140 000 years

Jones, Jacob, Kohfeld, Karen E., Bostock, Helen, Crosta, Xavier, Liston, Melanie, Dunbar, Gavin, Chase, Zanna, Leventer, Amy, Anderson, Harris and Jacobsen, Geraldine (2022). Sea ice changes in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean during the last 140 000 years. Climate of the Past, 18 (3), 465-483. doi: 10.5194/cp-18-465-2022

Sea ice changes in the southwest Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean during the last 140 000 years

2022

Journal Article

Ecoregionalisation of the Southern Ocean Using Radiolarians

Lowe, Vikki, Cortese, Giuseppe, Lawler, Kelly-Anne, Civel-Mazens, Matthieu and Bostock, Helen C. (2022). Ecoregionalisation of the Southern Ocean Using Radiolarians. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9 829676, 1-16. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.829676

Ecoregionalisation of the Southern Ocean Using Radiolarians

2022

Journal Article

Blood, lead and spheres: a hindered settling equation for sedimentologists based on metadata analysis

Baas, Jaco H., Baker, Megan L., Buffon, Patricia, Strachan, Lorna J., Bostock, Helen C., Hodgson, David, Eggenhuisen, Joris T. and Spychala, Yvonne T. (2022). Blood, lead and spheres: a hindered settling equation for sedimentologists based on metadata analysis. Depositional Record, 8 (2), 603-615. doi: 10.1002/dep2.176

Blood, lead and spheres: a hindered settling equation for sedimentologists based on metadata analysis

2022

Book Chapter

Water masses, circulation and change in the modern Southern Ocean

Carter, Lionel, Bostock-Lyman, Helen and Bowen, Melissa (2022). Water masses, circulation and change in the modern Southern Ocean. Antarctic Climate Evolution. (pp. 165-197) Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819109-5.00003-7

Water masses, circulation and change in the modern Southern Ocean

2021

Journal Article

Southern Ocean contribution to both steps in deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise

Ronge, Thomas A., Frische, Matthias, Fietzke, Jan, Stephens, Alyssa L., Bostock, Helen and Tiedemann, Ralf (2021). Southern Ocean contribution to both steps in deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise. Scientific Reports, 11 (1) 22117, 22117. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-01657-w

Southern Ocean contribution to both steps in deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise

2021

Journal Article

The Southern Ocean Radiolarian (SO-RAD) dataset: a new compilation of modern radiolarian census data

Lawler, Kelly-Anne, Cortese, Giuseppe, Civel-Mazens, Matthieu, Bostock, Helen, Crosta, Xavier, Leventer, Amy, Lowe, Vikki, Rogers, John and Armand, Leanne K. (2021). The Southern Ocean Radiolarian (SO-RAD) dataset: a new compilation of modern radiolarian census data. Earth System Science Data, 13 (11), 5441-5453. doi: 10.5194/essd-13-5441-2021

The Southern Ocean Radiolarian (SO-RAD) dataset: a new compilation of modern radiolarian census data

2021

Journal Article

Calibrating the marine turbidite palaeoseismometer using the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake

Howarth, Jamie D., Orpin, Alan R., Kaneko, Yoshihiro, Strachan, Lorna J., Nodder, Scott D., Mountjoy, Joshu J., Barnes, Philip M., Bostock, Helen C., Holden, Caroline, Jones, Katie and Cağatay, M. Namik (2021). Calibrating the marine turbidite palaeoseismometer using the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. Nature Geoscience, 14 (3), 161-167. doi: 10.1038/s41561-021-00692-6

Calibrating the marine turbidite palaeoseismometer using the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake

2021

Journal Article

Compiled Southern Ocean sea surface temperatures correlate with Antarctic Isotope Maxima

Anderson, H. J., Pedro, J. B., Bostock, H. C., Chase, Z. and Noble, T. L. (2021). Compiled Southern Ocean sea surface temperatures correlate with Antarctic Isotope Maxima. Quaternary Science Reviews, 255 106821, 106821. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106821

Compiled Southern Ocean sea surface temperatures correlate with Antarctic Isotope Maxima

2021

Journal Article

Seasonal and interannual variability of the Subtropical Front in the New Zealand region

Behrens, Erik, McC. Hogg, Andrew, England, Matthew H. and Bostock, Helen (2021). Seasonal and interannual variability of the Subtropical Front in the New Zealand region. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126 (2) 2020JC016412. doi: 10.1029/2020jc016412

Seasonal and interannual variability of the Subtropical Front in the New Zealand region

2021

Journal Article

Frontal dynamics and water mass variability on the Campbell Plateau

Forcén-Vázquez, Aitana, Williams, Michael J. M., Bowen, Melissa, Carter, Lionel and Bostock, Helen (2021). Frontal dynamics and water mass variability on the Campbell Plateau. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 55 (1), 199-222. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2021.1875490

Frontal dynamics and water mass variability on the Campbell Plateau

2021

Journal Article

Early deglacial CO2 release from the Sub-Antarctic Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Shuttleworth, R., Bostock, H.C., Chalk, T.B., Calvo, E., Jaccard, S.L., Pelejero, C., Martínez-García, A. and Foster, G.L. (2021). Early deglacial CO2 release from the Sub-Antarctic Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 554 116649, 116649. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116649

Early deglacial CO2 release from the Sub-Antarctic Atlantic and Pacific oceans

2021

Journal Article

Timing of seafloor spreading cessation at the Macquarie Ridge Complex (SW Pacific) and implications for upper mantle heterogeneity

Jiang, Qiang, Merle, Renaud E., Jourdan, Fred, Olierook, Hugo K. H., Whitehouse, Martin J., Evans, Katy A., Wang, Xuan‐Ce, Conway, Chris E., Bostock, Helen C. and Wysoczanski, Richard J. (2021). Timing of seafloor spreading cessation at the Macquarie Ridge Complex (SW Pacific) and implications for upper mantle heterogeneity. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 22 (1) e2020GC009485. doi: 10.1029/2020gc009485

Timing of seafloor spreading cessation at the Macquarie Ridge Complex (SW Pacific) and implications for upper mantle heterogeneity

2021

Journal Article

Origin of geochemically heterogeneous mid-ocean ridge basalts from the Macquarie Ridge Complex, SW Pacific

Jiang, Qiang, Merle, Renaud E., Jourdan, Fred, Olierook, Hugo K.H., Chiaradia, Massimo, Evans, Katy A., Wang, Xuan-Ce, Conway, Chris E., Bostock, Helen C. and Wysoczanski, Richard J. (2021). Origin of geochemically heterogeneous mid-ocean ridge basalts from the Macquarie Ridge Complex, SW Pacific. Lithos, 380-381 105893, 1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105893

Origin of geochemically heterogeneous mid-ocean ridge basalts from the Macquarie Ridge Complex, SW Pacific

2020

Journal Article

The flux and provenance of dust delivered to the SW Pacific during the Last Glacial Maximum

Trudgill, M. D., Shuttleworth, R., Bostock, H. C., Burke, A., Cooper, M. J., Greenop, R. and Foster, G. L. (2020). The flux and provenance of dust delivered to the SW Pacific during the Last Glacial Maximum. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 35 (12) e2020PA003869. doi: 10.1029/2020pa003869

The flux and provenance of dust delivered to the SW Pacific during the Last Glacial Maximum

2020

Journal Article

The sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to a changing climate: Past, present and future

Noble, T. L., Rohling, E. J., Aitken, A. R. A., Bostock, H. C., Chase, Z., Gomez, N., Jong, L. M., King, M. A., Mackintosh, A. N., McCormack, F. S., McKay, R. M., Menviel, L., Phipps, S. J., Weber, M. E., Fogwill, C. J., Gayen, B., Golledge, N. R., Gwyther, D. E., Hogg, A. Mc C., Martos, Y. M., Pena‐Molino, B., Roberts, J., Flierdt, T. and Williams, T. (2020). The sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to a changing climate: Past, present and future. Reviews of Geophysics, 58 (4) e2019RG000663, 1-89. doi: 10.1029/2019rg000663

The sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to a changing climate: Past, present and future

2020

Journal Article

Limited variability in the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi since the pre-industrial era in the Subantarctic Southern Ocean

Rigual-Hernández, A. S., Sánchez-Santos, J. M., Eriksen, R., Moy, A. D., Sierro, F. J., Flores, J. A., Abrantes, F., Bostock, H., Nodder, S. D., González-Lanchas, A. and Trull, T. W. (2020). Limited variability in the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi since the pre-industrial era in the Subantarctic Southern Ocean. Anthropocene, 31 100254, 100254. doi: 10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100254

Limited variability in the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi since the pre-industrial era in the Subantarctic Southern Ocean

2020

Journal Article

Late Quaternary climate variability and change from Aotearoa New Zealand speleothems: progress in age modelling, oxygen isotope master record construction and proxy-model comparisons

Lorrey, Andrew M., Williams, Paul W., Woolley, John-Mark, Fauchereau, Nicolas C., Hartland, Adam, Bostock, Helen, Eaves, Shaun, Lachniet, Matthew S., Renwick, James A. and Varma, Vidya (2020). Late Quaternary climate variability and change from Aotearoa New Zealand speleothems: progress in age modelling, oxygen isotope master record construction and proxy-model comparisons. Quaternary, 3 (3) 24, 24. doi: 10.3390/quat3030024

Late Quaternary climate variability and change from Aotearoa New Zealand speleothems: progress in age modelling, oxygen isotope master record construction and proxy-model comparisons

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2026
    Is there a climatic tipping point for Antarctic Bottom Water formation?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2023 - 2025
    Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program 2023-24 (ARC LIEF administered by The Australian National University)
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    Millennial climate change in southern Australia during the Last Glacial (ARC Discovery Project administered by the University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2023
    Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (ARC LIEF project administered by ANU)
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Ocean circulation and Australian climate change across the Mid-Pleistoscene Transition (MPT)
    Australian National University
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Helen Bostock is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Physical and biogeochemical oceanography of the Southern Great Barrier Reef

    The Southern Great Barrier Reef region forms an important interface between the reef matrix, the continental shelf and the coastal zone and marks the start of the East Australian CurrentThe Southern Great . The ocean circulation of the Southern Great Barrier Reef is poorly characterised. The oceanographic circulation of the Southern Great Barrier Reef is poorly characterised with just a couple of dedicated oceanography voyages in the 1980s and 1990s. This PhD project will utilise new physical and biogeochemical observational datasets that will be collected during a research voyage on the RV Investigator in August 2026. These observational datasets will be used in conjunction with the eReefs models to characterise the water masses and understand the ocean circulation and offshore-onshore exchange of waters between the East Australian Current and the southern coral reefs. The research is in collaboration with CSIRO.

    The project will involve working with large shipboard oceanography datasets from underway and CTD, remote sensing data of Sea Surface Temperature, Nutrients, Chlorophyll- a and Sea Surface Height. There is the potential for the student to participate on the research voyage in August 2026 if they start their PhD mid 2026. The project will also involve comparing the observations from the voyage with the CSIRO eReefs model.

    Preferred educational background

    • Oceanography or ocean engineering, physics or maths
    • Experience of coding in R, Python or Matlab
    • Knowledge of ocean biogeochemistry would be highly desirable.
    • Indigenous, diverse students are encouraged to apply

  • Changes in the Antarctic Intermediate Water around Australia over the last glacial cycle

    Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) sits at a water depth of 500-1500 m around Australia. This water mass that forms in the Southern Ocean plays an important role in the uptake of carbon and is thought to play an important role in providing nutrients to the subtropics. The AAIW has also been proposed to play an key role in the climate change over glacial cycles. Despite this we know relatively little about this water mass around Australia and how it has changed over time and its influence on the regional climate.

    This project will look at oceanographic data and process a series of marine sediment cores from the Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans to understand past changes in AAIW over the last glacial cycle (~150 ka). The project will involve lab work to process microfossils and stable isotopes and other geochemical proxies.

    Preferred educational background

    • Earth or Marine Sciences or Geography background
    • Indigenous, diverse students are encouraged to apply
    • Interest in oceanography, climate, sedimentology, micropaleontology and geochemistry would be beneficial

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Paleoenvironmental changes in the northern Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Reconstructing past environmental changes in the Cape Darnley, East Antarctica, region using microfossils from marine sediment cores

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Landscape as an artefact: Disentangling past human impacts on the vegetation Surry Hills, northern Tasmania using pollen and phytoliths

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther, Dr Kevin Welsh

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Oceanography and modelling on the Cape Darnley region, East Antarctica

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Gwyther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Multiproxy approach using deep-sea corals to constrain environmental changes in the deep Indian Ocean

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Jianxin Zhao

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring the interactions of the East Australian Current with canyons

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr David Gwyther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Solving the million year old mystery of the Mid-Pleistocene climate Transition using machine learning of microfossils

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Helen Bostock directly for media enquiries about:

  • Ocean carbon
  • Oceanography
  • Past climate
  • Seafloor mapping

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au