Associate Professor Helen Bostock Lyman
Associate Professor

Helen Bostock Lyman

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56082

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

Associate Professor Helen Bostock Lyman 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

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.

Search Professor Helen Bostock Lyman’s works on UQ eSpace

107 works between 2004 and 2024
All (107) Journal Article (100) Book Chapter (3) Conference Publication (4)

81 - 100 of 107 works

2013

Journal Article

Palaeoenvironmental change in tropical Australasia over the last 30,000 years - a synthesis by the OZ-INTIMATE group

Reeves, Jessica M., Bostock, Helen C., Ayliffe, Linda K., Barrows, Timothy T., De Deckker, Patrick, Devriendt, Laurent S., Dunbar, Gavin B., Drysdale, Russell N., Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E., Gagan, Michael K., Griffiths, Michael L., Haberle, Simon G., Jansen, John D., Krause, Claire, Lewis, Stephen, McGregor, Helen V., Mooney, Scott D., Moss, Patrick, Nanson, Gerald C., Purcell, Anthony and van der Kaars, Sander (2013). Palaeoenvironmental change in tropical Australasia over the last 30,000 years - a synthesis by the OZ-INTIMATE group. Quaternary Science Reviews, 74, 97-114. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.11.027

Palaeoenvironmental change in tropical Australasia over the last 30,000 years - a synthesis by the OZ-INTIMATE group

2013

Journal Article

Differential effects of cleaning procedures on the trace element chemistry of planktonic foraminifera

Marr, Julene P., Bostock, Helen C., Carter, Lionel, Bolton, Annette and Smith, Euan (2013). Differential effects of cleaning procedures on the trace element chemistry of planktonic foraminifera. Chemical Geology, 351, 310-323. doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2013.05.019

Differential effects of cleaning procedures on the trace element chemistry of planktonic foraminifera

2013

Journal Article

A 2300-Year Paleoearthquake record of the Southern Alpine Fault and Fiordland Subduction Zone, New Zealand, based on stacked turbidites

Barnes, Philip M., Bostock, Helen C., Neil, Helen L., Strachan, Lorna J. and Gosling, Matthew (2013). A 2300-Year Paleoearthquake record of the Southern Alpine Fault and Fiordland Subduction Zone, New Zealand, based on stacked turbidites. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 103 (4), 2424-2446. doi: 10.1785/0120120314

A 2300-Year Paleoearthquake record of the Southern Alpine Fault and Fiordland Subduction Zone, New Zealand, based on stacked turbidites

2013

Journal Article

Interaction of the subtropical front with topography around southern New Zealand

Smith, Robert O., Vennell, Ross, Bostock, Helen C. and Williams, Michael J. M. (2013). Interaction of the subtropical front with topography around southern New Zealand. Deep-Sea Research. Part 1: Oceanographic Research Papers, 76, 13-26. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2013.02.007

Interaction of the subtropical front with topography around southern New Zealand

2013

Journal Article

Southwest Pacific Ocean response to a warming world: Using Mg/Ca, Zn/Ca, and Mn/Ca in foraminifera to track surface ocean water masses during the last deglaciation

Marr, Julene P., Carter, Lionel, Bostock, Helen C., Bolton, Annette and Smith, Euan (2013). Southwest Pacific Ocean response to a warming world: Using Mg/Ca, Zn/Ca, and Mn/Ca in foraminifera to track surface ocean water masses during the last deglaciation. Paleoceanography, 28 (2), 347-362. doi: 10.1002/palo.20032

Southwest Pacific Ocean response to a warming world: Using Mg/Ca, Zn/Ca, and Mn/Ca in foraminifera to track surface ocean water masses during the last deglaciation

2013

Journal Article

An expanded modern dinoflagellate cyst dataset for the Southwest Pacific and Southern Hemisphere with environmental associations

Prebble, J. G., Crouch, E. M., Carter, L., Cortese, G., Bostock, H. and Neil, H. (2013). An expanded modern dinoflagellate cyst dataset for the Southwest Pacific and Southern Hemisphere with environmental associations. Marine Micropaleontology, 101, 33-48. doi: 10.1016/j.marmicro.2013.04.004

An expanded modern dinoflagellate cyst dataset for the Southwest Pacific and Southern Hemisphere with environmental associations

2013

Journal Article

Reviewing the circulation and mixing of Antarctic Intermediate Water in the South Pacific using evidence from geochemical tracers and Argo float trajectories

Bostock, Helen C., Sutton, Phil J., Williams, Michael J. M. and Opdyke, Bradley N. (2013). Reviewing the circulation and mixing of Antarctic Intermediate Water in the South Pacific using evidence from geochemical tracers and Argo float trajectories. Deep-Sea Research. Part 1: Oceanographic Research Papers, 73, 84-98. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2012.11.007

Reviewing the circulation and mixing of Antarctic Intermediate Water in the South Pacific using evidence from geochemical tracers and Argo float trajectories

2013

Journal Article

Calibration of the boron isotope proxy in the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber for use in palaeo-CO2 reconstruction

Henehan, Michael J., Rae, James W.B., Foster, Gavin L., Erez, Jonathan, Prentice, Katherine C., Kucera, Michal, Bostock, Helen C., Martínez-Botí, Miguel A., Milton, J. Andy, Wilson, Paul A., Marshall, Brittney J. and Elliott, Tim (2013). Calibration of the boron isotope proxy in the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber for use in palaeo-CO2 reconstruction. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 364, 111-122. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2012.12.029

Calibration of the boron isotope proxy in the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber for use in palaeo-CO2 reconstruction

2013

Journal Article

Estimating carbonate parameters from hydrographic data for the intermediate and deep waters of the Southern Hemisphere oceans

Bostock, H. C., Fletcher, S. E. Mikaloff and Williams, M. J. M. (2013). Estimating carbonate parameters from hydrographic data for the intermediate and deep waters of the Southern Hemisphere oceans. Biogeosciences, 10 (10), 6199-6213. doi: 10.5194/bg-10-6199-2013

Estimating carbonate parameters from hydrographic data for the intermediate and deep waters of the Southern Hemisphere oceans

2012

Journal Article

Diatom silicon isotopes as a proxy for silicic acid utilisation: a Southern Ocean core top calibration

Egan, Katherine E., Rickaby, Rosalind E. M., Leng, Melanie J., Hendry, Katharine R., Hermoso, Michael, Sloane, Hilary J., Bostock, Helen and Halliday, Alex N. (2012). Diatom silicon isotopes as a proxy for silicic acid utilisation: a Southern Ocean core top calibration. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 96, 174-192. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2012.08.002

Diatom silicon isotopes as a proxy for silicic acid utilisation: a Southern Ocean core top calibration

2012

Journal Article

Vegetation and climate in Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes since 210 ka: new insights from marine and terrestrial pollen records from New Zealand

Ryan, M. T., Dunbar, G. B., Vandergoes, M. J., Neil, H. L., Hannah, M. J., Newnham, R. M., Bostock, H. and Alloway, B. V. (2012). Vegetation and climate in Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes since 210 ka: new insights from marine and terrestrial pollen records from New Zealand. Quaternary Science Reviews, 48, 80-98. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.06.001

Vegetation and climate in Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes since 210 ka: new insights from marine and terrestrial pollen records from New Zealand

2012

Journal Article

Palaeocirculation across New Zealand during the last glacial maximum at similar to 21 ka

Lorrey, Andrew M., Vandergoes, Marcus, Almond, Peter, Renwick, James, Stephens, Tom, Bostock, Helen, Mackintosh, Andrew, Newnham, Rewi, Williams, Paul W., Ackerley, Duncan, Neil, Helen and Fowler, Anthony M. (2012). Palaeocirculation across New Zealand during the last glacial maximum at similar to 21 ka. Quaternary Science Reviews, 36, 189-213. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.09.025

Palaeocirculation across New Zealand during the last glacial maximum at similar to 21 ka

2012

Journal Article

Evolution of Macquarie Ridge Complex seamounts: Implications for volcanic and tectonic processes at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand

Conway, Chris E., Bostock, Helen C., Baker, Joel A., Wysoczanski, Richard J. and Verdier, Anne-Laure (2012). Evolution of Macquarie Ridge Complex seamounts: Implications for volcanic and tectonic processes at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand. Marine Geology, 295, 34-50. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2011.11.009

Evolution of Macquarie Ridge Complex seamounts: Implications for volcanic and tectonic processes at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand

2012

Journal Article

Planktic foraminifera-based sea-surface temperature record in the Tasman Sea and history of the Subtropical Front around New Zealand, over the last one million years

Hayward, Bruce W., Sabaa, Ashwaq T., Kolodziej, Andrew, Crundwell, Martin P., Steph, Silke, Scott, George H., Neil, Helen L., Bostock, Helen C., Carter, Lionel and Grenfell, Hugh R. (2012). Planktic foraminifera-based sea-surface temperature record in the Tasman Sea and history of the Subtropical Front around New Zealand, over the last one million years. Marine Micropaleontology, 82-83, 13-27. doi: 10.1016/j.marmicro.2011.10.003

Planktic foraminifera-based sea-surface temperature record in the Tasman Sea and history of the Subtropical Front around New Zealand, over the last one million years

2011

Journal Article

Ecological and temperature controls on Mg/Ca ratios of Globigerina bulloides from the southwest Pacific Ocean

Marr, Julene P., Baker, Joel A., Carter, Lionel, Allan, Aidan S. R., Dunbar, Gavin B. and Bostock, Helen C. (2011). Ecological and temperature controls on Mg/Ca ratios of Globigerina bulloides from the southwest Pacific Ocean. Paleoceanography, 26 (2) PA2209, n/a-n/a. doi: 10.1029/2010pa002059

Ecological and temperature controls on Mg/Ca ratios of Globigerina bulloides from the southwest Pacific Ocean

2011

Journal Article

Deep-water carbonate concentrations in the southwest Pacific

Bostock, Helen C., Hayward, Bruce W., Neil, Helen L., Currie, Kim I. and Dunbar, Gavin B. (2011) Deep-water carbonate concentrations in the southwest Pacific. Deep-Sea Research. Part 1: Oceanographic Research Papers, 58 1: 72-85. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.010

Deep-water carbonate concentrations in the southwest Pacific

2010

Journal Article

Characterising the intermediate depth waters of the Pacific Ocean using δ13C and other geochemical tracers

Bostock, Helen C., Opdyke, Bradley N. and Williams, Michael J.M. (2010). Characterising the intermediate depth waters of the Pacific Ocean using δ13C and other geochemical tracers. Deep-Sea Research. Part 1: Oceanographic Research Papers, 57 (7), 847-859. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr.2010.04.005

Characterising the intermediate depth waters of the Pacific Ocean using δ13C and other geochemical tracers

2009

Conference Publication

Resource evaluation, exploration and current prospecting interests of west coast ironsands, North Island, New Zealand

Orpin, Alan, Bostock, Helen, Nodder, Scott, Barnes, Phil and Lamarche, Geoffroy (2009). Resource evaluation, exploration and current prospecting interests of west coast ironsands, North Island, New Zealand.

Resource evaluation, exploration and current prospecting interests of west coast ironsands, North Island, New Zealand

2009

Conference Publication

The distribution of Pa-231 and Th-230 in paired water column and surface sediment samples

Bradtmiller, Louisa I., Robinson, Laura F., McManus, Jerry F., Auro, Maureen E. and Bostock, Helen C. (2009). The distribution of Pa-231 and Th-230 in paired water column and surface sediment samples. 19th Annual VM Goldschmidt Conference, Davos Switzerland, Jun 21, 2009. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD.

The distribution of Pa-231 and Th-230 in paired water column and surface sediment samples

2009

Journal Article

Late Quaternary siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentation model for the Capricorn Channel, southern Great Barrier Reef province, Australia

Bostock, H. C., Opdyke, B. N., Gagan, M. K. and Fifield, L. K. (2009). Late Quaternary siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentation model for the Capricorn Channel, southern Great Barrier Reef province, Australia. Marine Geology, 257 (1-4), 107-123. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2008.11.003

Late Quaternary siliciclastic/carbonate sedimentation model for the Capricorn Channel, southern Great Barrier Reef province, Australia

Current 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
    Is there a climatic tipping point for Antarctic Bottom Water formation?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    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

Past funding

  • 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

Associate Professor Helen Bostock Lyman 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

    Oceanography and modelling on the Cape Darnley region, East Antarctica

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring the interactions of the East Australian Current with canyons

    Principal Advisor

  • 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

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Helen Bostock Lyman directly for media enquiries about:

  • Ocean carbon
  • Oceanography
  • Past climate
  • Seafloor mapping

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