Overview
Background
The focus of my research is on the oceanography and paleoceanography. 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, and multidisciplinary topics such as ocean acidification (the uptake of CO2 by the oceans) and climate change in the oceans (marine heat waves, sea level rise), and paleoseismicity (using sedimentary records to reconstruct the history of past earthquakes). My research has focussed on the southwest Pacific (Coral Sea, Tasman Sea and South Pacific) and Southern Ocean. 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.
Helen Bostock joined the University of Queensland in July 2019 from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand (2006-2019). Prior to this she worked as a researcher in the Coastal CRC at Geoscience Australia in Canberra (2004-2006).
Availability
- Professor Helen Bostock is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
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
The work undertaken as part of the Coastal CRC (https://ozcoasts.org.au/) looked at several different coastal enviroments around Australia to understand the impact of recent sediment and contaminants on the local ecosystems, such as the Great Barrier Reef.
I have developed datasets of the carbonate chemistry and sediment maps of the southwest Pacific, which have been widely used by marine ecologists to understand the habitats of marine organisms that live on the seafloor. These datasets have been used to identify the potential distribution of deep marine vulnerable marine ecosystems in the South Pacific. I have also been involved in a New Zealand project CARIM (Coastal Acidification: Rates, Impacts and Mitigation) to determine the variability of pH and carbonate chemistry of the coastal regions. These projects have Maori and regional government stakeholders that will be using this information to develop future strategic management plans.
I have also been involved in a large project to understand recurrence of large earthquakes on the Hikurangi Subduction Margin, east coast of the New Zealand north island. This project is using a suite of cores from across the margin to look at the frequency of sedimentary gravity flows (turbidites), to determine the occurrence of earthquakes along this margin to develop hazard models for the east coast of the North Island communities and New Zealand government.
Works
Search Professor Helen Bostock’s works on UQ eSpace
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
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
2020
Journal Article
Ageing Deep-Sea Black Coral Bathypathes patula
Marriott, Peter, Tracey, Dianne Margaret, Bostock, Helen, Hitt, Nicholas and Fallon, Stewart J. (2020). Ageing Deep-Sea Black Coral Bathypathes patula. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7 479. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00479
2020
Journal Article
Coupled evolution of stable carbon isotopes between the Southern Ocean and the atmosphere over the last 260 ka
Hu, Rong, Bostock, Helen C., Greaves, Mervyn, Piotrowski, Alexander M. and McCave, I. Nicholas (2020). Coupled evolution of stable carbon isotopes between the Southern Ocean and the atmosphere over the last 260 ka. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 538 116215, 116215. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116215
2020
Journal Article
Coccolithophore biodiversity controls carbonate export in the Southern Ocean
Rigual Hernandez, Andres S., Trull, Thomas W., Nodder, Scott D., Flores, Jose A., Bostock, Helen, Abrantes, Fatima, Eriksen, Ruth S., Sierro, Francisco J., Davies, Diana M., Ballegeer, Anne-Marie, Fuertes, Miguel A. and Northcote, Lisa C. (2020). Coccolithophore biodiversity controls carbonate export in the Southern Ocean. Biogeosciences, 17 (1), 245-263. doi: 10.5194/bg-17-245-2020
2019
Journal Article
Hydrodynamics and sediment transport on the North Canterbury Shelf, New Zealand
Nokes, Cowan R., Bostock, Helen C., Strachan, Lorna J. and Hadfield, Mark G. (2019). Hydrodynamics and sediment transport on the North Canterbury Shelf, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 55 (1), 1-20. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2019.1699584
2019
Other Outputs
Coccolithophore biodiversity controls carbonate export in the Southern Ocean
Hernández, Andrés S. Rigual, Trull, Thomas W., Nodder, Scott D., Flores, José A., Bostock, Helen, Abrantes, Fátima, Eriksen, Ruth S., Sierro, Francisco J., Davies, Diana M., Ballegeer, Anne-Marie, Fuertes, Miguel A. and Northcote, Lisa C. (2019). Coccolithophore biodiversity controls carbonate export in the Southern Ocean. doi: 10.5194/bg-2019-352
2019
Journal Article
Paleoproductivity in the SW Pacific Ocean during the early Holocene climatic optimum
Bostock, H. C., Prebble, J. G., Cortese, G., Hayward, B., Calvo, E., Quirós-Collazos, L., Kienast, M. and Kim, K. (2019). Paleoproductivity in the SW Pacific Ocean during the early Holocene climatic optimum. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 34 (4), 580-599. doi: 10.1029/2019PA003574
2019
Journal Article
Modern, preindustrial, and past (last 25 ka) carbon isotopic (δ 13 C) variability in the surface waters of the Southwest Pacific
Maxson, Charles R., Bostock, Helen C., Mackintosh, Andrew, Mikaloff‐Fletcher, Sara, McCave, Nick and Neil, Helen L. (2019). Modern, preindustrial, and past (last 25 ka) carbon isotopic (δ 13 C) variability in the surface waters of the Southwest Pacific. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 34 (4), 692-714. doi: 10.1029/2018pa003441
2019
Journal Article
Distribution of surficial sediments in the ocean around New Zealand/Aotearoa. Part B: continental shelf
Bostock, Helen, Jenkins, Chris, Mackay, Kevin, Carter, Lionel, Nodder, Scott, Orpin, Alan, Pallentin, Arne and Wysoczanski, Richard (2019). Distribution of surficial sediments in the ocean around New Zealand/Aotearoa. Part B: continental shelf. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 62 (1), 24-45. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2018.1523199
2019
Conference Publication
Geospatial multi-criteria analysis for site selection of wave energy farms in New Zealand
Bertram, Danielle V., Bostock, Helen, Walmsley, Michael R.W., Atkins, Martin J. and Glasgow, Graeme (2019). Geospatial multi-criteria analysis for site selection of wave energy farms in New Zealand. Australasian Coasts and Ports 2019 Conference, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 10-13 September 2019. Australian Coasts and Ports.
2019
Journal Article
Distribution of surficial sediments in the ocean around New Zealand/Aotearoa. Part A: continental slope and deep ocean
Bostock, Helen, Jenkins, Chris, Mackay, Kevin, Carter, Lionel, Nodder, Scott, Orpin, Alan, Pallentin, Arne and Wysoczanski, Richard (2019). Distribution of surficial sediments in the ocean around New Zealand/Aotearoa. Part A: continental slope and deep ocean. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 62 (1), 1-23. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2018.1523198
2018
Journal Article
The neodymium isotope fingerprint of Adélie Coast bottom water
Lambelet, M., Flierdt, T., Butler, E. C. V., Bowie, A. R., Rintoul, S. R., Watson, R. J., Remenyi, T., Lannuzel, D., Warner, M., Robinson, L. F., Bostock, H. C. and Bradtmiller, L. I. (2018). The neodymium isotope fingerprint of Adélie Coast bottom water. Geophysical Research Letters, 45 (20), 11247-11256. doi: 10.1029/2018gl080074
2018
Journal Article
A Southwest Pacific perspective on long-term global trends in Pliocene-Pleistocene stable isotope records
Patterson, M. O., McKay, R., Naish, T., Bostock, H. C., Dunbar, R., Ohneiser, C., Woodard, S. C., Wilson, G. and Caballero-Gill, R. (2018). A Southwest Pacific perspective on long-term global trends in Pliocene-Pleistocene stable isotope records. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 33 (7), 825-839. doi: 10.1029/2017pa003269
2018
Journal Article
Reduced oxygenation at intermediate depths of the southwest Pacific during the last glacial maximum
Durand, Axel, Chase, Zanna, Noble, Taryn L., Bostock, Helen, Jaccard, Samuel L., Townsend, Ashley T., Bindoff, Nathaniel L., Neil, Helen and Jacobsen, Geraldine (2018). Reduced oxygenation at intermediate depths of the southwest Pacific during the last glacial maximum. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 491, 48-57. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2018.03.036
2018
Journal Article
Ocean acidification in New Zealand waters: trends and impacts
Law, Cliff S., Bell, James J., Bostock, Helen C., Cornwall, Chris E., Cummings, Vonda J., Currie, Kim, Davy, Simon K., Gammon, Malindi, Hepburn, Christopher D., Hurd, Catriona L., Lamare, Miles, Mikaloff-Fletcher, Sara E., Nelson, Wendy A., Parsons, Darren M., Ragg, Norman L. C., Sewell, Mary A., Smith, Abigail M. and Tracey, Dianne M. (2018). Ocean acidification in New Zealand waters: trends and impacts. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 52 (2), 155-195. doi: 10.1080/00288330.2017.1374983
2017
Journal Article
Evaluation of PMIP2 and PMIP3 simulations of mid-Holocene climate in the Indo-Pacific, Australasian and Southern Ocean regions
Ackerley, Duncan, Reeves, Jessica, Barr, Cameron, Bostock, Helen, Fitzsimmons, Kathryn, Fletcher, Michael-Shawn, Gouramanis, Chris, McGregor, Helen, Mooney, Scott, Phipps, Steven J., Tibby, John and Tyler, Jonathan (2017). Evaluation of PMIP2 and PMIP3 simulations of mid-Holocene climate in the Indo-Pacific, Australasian and Southern Ocean regions. Climate of the Past, 13 (11), 1661-1684. doi: 10.5194/cp-13-1661-2017
2017
Journal Article
Evidence for a Holocene climatic optimum in the southwest Pacific: a multiproxy study
Prebble, J. G., Bostock, H. C., Cortese, G., Lorrey, A. M., Hayward, B. W., Calvo, E., Northcote, L. C., Scott, G. H. and Neil, H. L. (2017). Evidence for a Holocene climatic optimum in the southwest Pacific: a multiproxy study. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 32 (8), 763-779. doi: 10.1002/2016PA003065
2017
Journal Article
Export production in the New-Zealand region since the Last Glacial Maximum
Durand, Axel, Chase, Zanna, Noble, Taryn L., Bostock, Helen, Jaccard, Samuel L., Kitchener, Priya, Townsend, Ashley T., Jansen, Nils, Kinsley, Les, Jacobsen, Geraldine, Johnson, Sean and Neil, Helen (2017). Export production in the New-Zealand region since the Last Glacial Maximum. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 469, 110-122. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.03.035
2017
Journal Article
Calibration of the carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of benthic foraminifera
Schmittner, Andreas, Bostock, Helen C., Cartapanis, Olivier, Curry, William B., Filipsson, Helena L., Galbraith, Eric D., Gottschalk, Julia, Herguera, Juan Carlos, Hoogakker, Babette, Jaccard, Samuel L., Lisiecki, Lorraine E., Lund, David C., Martínez-Méndez, Gema, Lynch-Stieglitz, Jean, Mackensen, Andreas, Michel, Elisabeth, Mix, Alan C., Oppo, Delia W., Peterson, Carlye D., Repschläger, Janne, Sikes, Elisabeth L., Spero, Howard J. and Waelbroeck, Claire (2017). Calibration of the carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of benthic foraminifera. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 32 (6), 512-530. doi: 10.1002/2016PA003072
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Helen Bostock is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Microplastics in Moreton Bay
Globally we consume and dispose of significant quanitites of plastic. Some of these end up in our water ways and eventually make it to the coast and out into the ocean. This project will look at the distribution, concentration of microplastics in Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland sediments and waters to determine how much microplastic is getting in to and being trapped in this coastal embayment.
The student should have an interest in environmental and marine sciences. The project will involve field work, lab work and with the potential for some modelling. The project is joint with the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science at UQ and Engineering School.
-
Oceanography and Paleoceanography of the Coral Sea
The Coral Sea sits offshore northeast Queensland, Australia, and has a strong influence on the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs within the large Coral Sea Marine Park. However, we still have little understanding of the oceanography and paleoceanography of this region and how it has evolved and influenced the development of the reef over the last 1 million years.
The project will involve analysing oceanographic data from the region, and also lab work to process some recently collected long marine sediment cores from the northern Great Barrier Reef (2022) for their microfossils, sedimentology and stable isotopes.
This project would require someone with an oceanographic and/or a marine geology/sedimentology/geochemistry background.
-
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.
The project would suit someone with an oceanography and/or marine geology/sedimentology/micropaleontology background.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the interactions of the East Australian Current with canyons
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Gwyther
-
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
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
Paleoenvironmental changes in the northern Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Welsh
-
Doctor Philosophy
Oceanography and modelling on the Cape Darnley region, East Antarctica
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Gwyther
-
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing adaptation to climate change in coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Harald Hofmann
-
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing adaptation to climate change in coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Harald Hofmann
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
New radiolarian-based methods for estimating water mass and sea-ice changes in the Southwest Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jonathan Aitchison, Dr Jason Everett
Media
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: