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).
