PEOPLE
Matt King
UTas
Nerilie Abram
ANU
Alan Aitken
UWA
David Antoine
Curtin U
Nathan Bindoff
UTas
Julia Blanchard
UTas
Philip Boyd
UTas
John Church
UNSW
Zanna Chase
UTas
Richard Coleman
UTas
Rhodri Davies
ANU
Michael Ellwood
ANU
Matt England
UNSW
Bishakhdatta Gayen
U Melb
Ian Goodwin
UNSW
Jacqui Halpin
UTas
David Heslop
ANU
Nicole Hill
UTas
Mark Hindell
UTas
Delphine Lannuzel
UTas
Mary-Anne Lea
UTas
Vanessa Lucieer
UTas
Elisa Mantelli
UTas
Andrew McMinn
UTas
Laurie Menviel
UNSW
Adele Morrison
ANU
Max Nikurashin
UTas
Taryn Noble
UTas
Helen Phillips
UTas
Anya Reading
UTas
Eelco Rohling
ANU
Kate Selway
Uni SA
Alex Sen Gupta
UNSW
Paul Spence
UTas
Pete Strutton
UTas
Paul Tregoning
ANU
Chris Watson
UTas
Duanne White
U Canberra
Jo Whittaker
UTas
Jan Zika
UNSW
Shigeru Aoki
Hokkaido University
Michael Bentley
Durham Uni
Herve Claustre
CNRS - LOV
Xavier Crosta
University of Bordeaux
Scott Doney
University of Virginia
Gael Durand
CNRS - IGE
Pierre Dutrieux
British Antarctic Survey
Tamsin Edwards
Kings College
Helen Fricker
SIO - UCSD
Ben Galton-Fenzi
AAD
Sarah Gille
SIO - UCSD
Karsten Gohl
Alfred Wegner Institue
Stephen Griffies
NOAA
Stewart Jamieson
Durham Uni
Bernd Kulessa
Swansea University
Amaelle Landais
CNRS - LSCE
Naomi Levine
USC
Adrian Luckman
Swansea University
Rob Massom
AAD
Clive McMahon
SIMS - IMOS
Klaus Meiners
AAD
Terence O'Kane
CSIRO
Alexandra Post
Geoscience Australia
Jason Roberts
AAD
Jean-Baptiste Sallee
CNRS - LOCS
Won Sang Lee
KOPRI
Ted Scambos
University of Colorado
Chris Stokes
Durham Uni
Lynne Talley
SIO - SOCCOM
Andy Thompson
Caltech
David Thompson
Colorado State Uni
John Toole
WHOI
Michiel Van Den Broeke
Utrecht Uni
Anna Wahlin
University of Gothenburg
Darryn Waugh
Johns Hopkins University
Pippa Whitehouse
Durham Uni
Eric Wolff
University of Cambridge
Yusuke Yokoyama
University of Tokyo
Xuebin Zhang
CSIRO
Collaborators
Rupert Gladstone
University of Lapland
Anders Levermann
PIK
Current ACEAS Activities:
As Centre Director of ACEAS, Matt will lead the delivery of the research programs, strategy, governance, and operations for the Centre.
Under Matt's direction ACEAS will take five strategic approaches by:
- Undertaking world-class integrated research;
- Maximising strong national and international partnerships;
- Employing a diverse workforce;
- Leveraging and creating national research infrastructure; and
- Creating pathways to local, regional, and circumpolar impact.
Current ACEAS Activities:
- Assist the Director on strategic planning and development process to assist in positioning the Centre for future funding opportunities.
- Provide advice and support to the Director in engaging effectively with stakeholders and end-users in government and industry
- Provides management, policy and financial assistance and advice to the Director on all matters relating to the Centre’s administration and operations, and ensure compliance with the Grant Agreement, including monitoring delivery against contracted KPIs.
- Oversee the recruitment and appointment of Centre-funded academic and professional staff.
- Assist the Director in developing project governance and monitoring arrangements
- Work with relevant Centre staff, participants and collaborators in the development of proposals for supplementary and new funding.
Current ACEAS Activities:
Jenna's roles as ACEAS Centre Project Officer include:
- Coordination of day-to-day administration needs of ACEAS including finance, record management and human resources.
- Project administration support to the Director and Chief Operating Officer
- Project coordination support for ACEAS research staff and students
- Centre liaison for internal and external stakeholders
- Coordinate the preparation of formal reports on research delivery against Key Performance Indicators
- Secretary to the Management Committee
Current ACEAS Activities:
Melissa is the Communications Officer at the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. She coordinates the Centre’s communication activities, which includes promoting new research to the media and other key audiences.
Patti Virtue
Antarctic Graduate Training Coordinator
Current ACEAS Activities:
Patti is the graduate training coordinator at the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. Her role includes developing and overseeing the implementation of the centre's training for early career researchers in Antarctic Science, Policy, Governance and Law.
Carmen Tucker
Project Officer - Australian National University
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Current ACEAS Activities:
Carmen is the ACEAS Project Officer at the Australian National University (ANU), based at the Research School of Earth Sciences. Carmen is the Centre administrative contact at the ANU node and is responsible for providing ANU Researchers working under ACEAS with general administrative support.
Current ACEAS Activities:
Pratiksha manages the UNSW node of ACEAS. She supports the research staff and students with everyday administration and provides operational management for the centre.
Current ACEAS Activities:
My current activities within ACEAS are twofold. Firstly, I am working on better understanding the response of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica to climatic changes during the early- to mid-Pliocene period. In particular, I am focused on the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP), from ~ 3.3 to 3.0 million years ago. During the mPWP, atmospheric CO2 concentrations varied between approximately 280-450 ppm, and global temperatures were at times 2-4 degrees warmer than pre-industrial times. This makes the mPWP a fantastic geological analog to projected 21st-century warming. Worryingly, the global sea level during the mPWP at times reached up to 15 metres higher than the present, suggesting significant melting of Antarctica ice sheets. My work focuses on identifying periods of ice mass loss from regions of East Antarctica that have been identified as potentially at risk of current warming.
The second theme of my research is to better understand the cycling of neodymium – a rare earth element – within the sediments and ocean around East Antarctica. The ratio of neodymium isotopes within marine sediments is widely used as a tracer for past changes in ocean circulation. This is because within the modern ocean different water masses possess unique neodymium isotopic signatures. However, uncertainty remains in exactly how marine sediments acquire their neodymium isotopic signature. To address this, I am examining the neodymium isotope signature of relatively recently deposited sediments within different sedimentary environments around East Antarctica.
Kirralee Baker
Research Associate Marine Ecosystems: Remote Sensing/Biological Floats
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Current ACEAS Activities:
Kirralee’s role within ACEAS is to improve the interpretation of particle properties obtained from BGC-ARGO profiles. Using sensor data obtained from BGC-ARGO floats, in combination with field- and lab-based experiments, she aims to understand how seasonal changes in phytoplankton physiology and floristics jointly control carbon and chlorophyll dynamics in East Antarctica.
Rishav Goyal
Research Associate Southern Ocean Atmospheric Interactions
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Current ACEAS Activities:
Rishav’s current research aims at understanding the atmospheric variability in the East Antarctic region with a focus on both the large-scale modes of variability as well as the synoptic-scale variability.
Katharina Hochmuth
Research Associate Tectonics and Ice Sheets
E: Katharina.Hochmuth@utas.edu.au
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Current ACEAS Activities:
The sedimentation offshore the Australian East Antarctic margin has been strongly influenced by the dynamics of the East Antarctic ice sheet as well as the tectonic remnants of the opening of the Southern Ocean and the separation between Australia and Antarctica.
As part of ACEAS, Katharina will focus on the reconstruction of sedimentation behaviour from various ice streams through time, revealing regional changes in the ice sheet and erosional dynamics and closely collaborates with other geologists, and geophysicists as well as the modelling community within ACEAS and beyond.
As part of the Denman glacier voyage, we hope to collect new datasets in this so far completely unsurveyed part of the continental shelf to work towards a better understanding of this vulnerable part of the East Antarctic ice sheet.
Current ACEAS Activities:
At ACEAS, I am focused on ecological processes and doing my best to bring together data and knowledge from other disciplines to improve ecological models. With ecological models, I am hoping to address key questions facing Southern Ocean ecosystems, primarily relating to the implications of climate change and fishing. I am developing size- and trait-based ecosystem modelling approaches for the Southern Ocean. I am attempting to integrate models with observational datasets collected across different spatial scales and spanning a vast range of taxonomic groups and trophic levels. These approaches will help us to understand how Southern Ocean ecosystems are responding to the rapid changes that are occurring.
I am very excited to be a part of the ACEAS research community. The truly multidisciplinary nature of ACEAS is an exciting proposition and contributing to the diverse research team is a privilege. Moreover, from my experience, multidisciplinary planning and transfer of knowledge leads to outcomes that are greater than the sum of the parts.
I aim to work closely with researchers collecting field-based data for important functional groups and distinct organisms in the Southern Ocean, to maximise the inclusion of data to improve model realism. This will hopefully include collaboration with researchers involved in data collection and production from satellites and Earth System Models, ARGO floats, all up to biological data collected from large marine mammals.
I am the co-coordinator of the ACEAS Working Group ‘Physics to Food Webs’. 'Physics to food webs' is an ACEAS (Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science) Working Group aiming to link researchers across disciplines to improve ecological modelling efforts for the Southern Ocean
Rebecca McGirr
Research Associate Mass Balance (remote sensing, modelling)
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Current ACEAS Activities:
My role at ACEAS involves using space gravity data to measure the impacts of modern climate change on the mass of water stored as continental ice within the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. As part of ACEAS I will assess what spatial and temporal resolution of mass balance estimates can be achieved from current remote sensing data and how to best mitigate the impacts of glacial isostatic adjustment on mass balance estimates in polar regions. From these results, I will accurately estimate high spatio-temporal resolution changes in mass balance in East Antarctica and the associated contributions to global sea level over the past two decades
Current ACEAS Activities:
My role at ACEAS focuses on improving understanding and representation of the linkages between Southern Ocean biophysics, mid-trophic level prey, and predators. In tackling this, my role has two separate but complementary themes.
The first theme uses in-situ observations, obtained through animal biotelemetry (satellite loggers with onboard CTD sensors), to concurrently measure biophysical ocean properties, relative prey abundances, and changes in predator foraging behaviour. With these combined datasets, I aim to derive empirical links spanning environment – prey – predators and use these to generate understanding around how Southern Ocean biota might respond to fine-scale changes in their environment.
The second theme focuses on formalising trophic linkages through mechanistic modelling. Here I consider approaches for representing key Southern Ocean energy pathways through extending current general circulation and biogeochemical models to represent mid-trophic levels. In doing this, I have been implementing a modified ecosystem model (SEAPODYM) framework to represent a key Southern Ocean prey species – Antarctic krill. Through this work, I hope to extend my research to applied questions addressing sustainable species management under a changing climate.
Madelaine Rosevear
Research Associate Ice-ocean interactions
E: madi.gamblerosevear@unimelb.edu.au
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Current ACEAS Activities:
As an ACEAS Postdoc I will be investigating the ocean processes responsible for melting Antarctic ice shelves using a modelling approach. The ability to accurately predict basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves is critical to future projections of ice sheet stability and sea level. However, due to the difficulty of accessing the ocean beneath ice shelves, which are hundreds of meters thick and hundreds of kilometers long and wide, the ocean environment beneath ice shelves is rarely observed and the ocean processes that govern heat transport to the ice remain poorly understood. I will use a high-resolution ocean model to target processes that are expected to drive elevated heat transport to the ice, such as internal wave activity, and quantify their effect on ice shelf basal melting. In collaboration with other ACEAS investigators, I will use new and existing results from my PhD work to develop and implement a new parameterisation for basal melting for use in large-scale Ocean/Climate models, to improve the accuracy of future climate and sea-level projections.
Current ACEAS Activities:
I’m currently consolidating possible in situ data collected in the Southern Ocean, such as ACE, SOLACE and SOTS. Based on which, I will explore the bio-optical properties of the Southern Ocean to get an overview.
Sandeep Mohapatra
Research Associate - Modes of Ocean Variability
E: Sandeep.mohapatra@utas.edu.au
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Current ACEAS Activities:
I am working on the ocean modes of variability of the global ocean with a major focus on the Southern Ocean and its footprint on the atmospheres and over land including Antarctica by using reanalysis products and coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations.
Saurabh Rathore
Research Associate - Detection and Attribution
E: saurabh.rathore@unsw.edu.au
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Current ACEAS Activities:
Currently, I am a postdoctoral research associate at UNSW and working on Global Sea-level change and variability working with Prof. John Church, Dr. Jan Zika and Dr. Xeubin Zhang. This project focuses to improve the current understanding of global and regional sea-level change under the influence of anthropogenic forcing and natural variabilities using observations and CMIP5/6 model outputs.
I am collaborating with Prof. Nathan Bindoff and A/Prof Alex SenGupta to understand the fingerprint of the asymmetric internal variability on heat and moisture transport towards the Antarctica.
Current ACEAS Activities:
Focusing on the Southern Ocean (SO) Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), my role will be to implement novel under-ice mapping techniques that can capture key sea-ice biophysical properties challenging to measure by any other means. The derived under-ice remote sensing products, to be linked with meaningful biogeochemical and ecological processes monitored by other ACEAS groups, aim to deliver datasets and tools cognisant of the temporal and spatial scales required by the ACEAS workforce and other partner organizations.
In particular, the technical component of the project involves designing means to deploy under-ice hyperspectral imaging and photogrammetric payloads that are mounted on Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). Information on sea-ice sympagic communities (e.g., biomass and photophysiology) and structure will then be combined with surface products (e.g., from Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UASs) and other platforms) to deliver a multi-scale array of biophysical sea-ice data that can be assimilated with known information in the region.
Through the analysis of new and existing bio-optical under-ice data, the project ultimately envisions the delivery of new monitoring tools and algorithms that can provide support for modelling efforts and reveal complex biophysical processes under a changing Antarctic sea ice.
Current ACEAS Activities:
My current activities within ACEAS are to investigate Southern Ocean ventilation and water-mass formation, as well as the heat uptake and redistribution by Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) in driving Southern Ocean warming. I have been looking at the formation and variability of SAMW and AAIW in the Southern Ocean, by reconciling their volume changes with formation mechanisms of subduction and water-mass transformation. I am currently working at investigating the ocean heat uptake and redistribution by SAMW and AAIW formation for understanding Southern Ocean warming, and more broadly, global warming.
Current ACEAS Activities:
At ACEAS, my goal is to understand how meltwater discharge events from the Greenland Ice Sheet affect the high latitude Southern Hemisphere Climate, in particular the Eastern Antarctic Ice Sheet. Freshwater discharge into the North Atlantic Ocean have the potential to greatly weaken, or even shut down, the main pathway by which the ocean transports heat poleward: the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Such change would have an impact in the global climate, cooling the Northern Hemisphere and affecting tropical rainfall patterns. Nonetheless, little is known about how AMOC weakening would affect the high latitude regions in the Southern Hemisphere. To accomplish this, I combine numerical experiments using climate models to evidence from past events in the Earth’s history as inferred from proxy data.
Pauline Latour
Reserach Associate - Ocean-ice Biogeochemistry
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Current ACEAS Activities:
As an ACEAS postdoc, I will investigate the role of trace metals originating from the cryosphere in stimulating surrounding primary productivity. Using a combination of field- and lab-based experiments, I will look at the cycle of sea ice trace metals in East Antarctica and study the impact of their speciation and limitation on phytoplankton physiology.
Tamara Schlosser
Research Associate - Marine Ecosystems Remote Sensing
E: tamara.schlosser@utas.edu.au
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Current ACEAS Activities:
As part of ACEAS, I am investigating the environmental drivers that control the onset of the Southern Ocean spring bloom. I work with biogeochemical Argo (BGC-Argo) float data from the Southern Ocean, in combination with other data streams (satellite, model outputs, reanalysis products), and one-dimensional turbulence modelling. By understanding how the Southern Ocean primary productivity is dependent on the physical environment, we can better predict future ecosystem changes and the resulting biogeochemical fluxes.
Current ACEAS Activities:
I will quantify the fine-scale structure of velocity and water mass properties across the Southern Ocean from existing observations to examine the processes that regulate heat, freshwater and other tracers across Southern Ocean fronts, with a particular emphasis on the East Antarctic margin. This work will include analysis of high-resolution model simulations (e.g. MITgcm and ACCESS-OM2-01) to test their ability to represent these processes. I will also participate in marine science voyage to the Denman Glacier.
Current ACEAS Activities:
I study how Antarctica's response to the changing climate depends on solid Earth properties and processes. In my role at ACEAS, I investigate new ways to gain insight into how geology interacts with ice sheets and glaciers. Such insights are derived from geophysical and geological data using novel computational and statistical tools. Integrating data from satellites, airborne instruments, and seismology with qualitative observations in glaciology and geology provide technical as well as semantic challenges. Those challenges can be addressed with the broad expertise in ACEAS; multivariate questions call for interdisciplinary efforts.
I am based at the University of Tasmania School of Natural Sciences, Physics. In this environment, I have the opportunity to get inspired by colleagues using relevant and advanced analytical and computational tools to address similar problems in different settings.
Currently, I am working on instrumentation and field preparations to study the ice-bedrock interface as well as deeper structures. I am also developing new methods to study the large-scale tectonic configuration of the Antarctic interior and derive implications for subglacial heat and glacial isostatic adjustment.
Current ACEAS Activities:
I am a postdoctoral research associate at UTAS working on Southern Ocean modelling with Dr. Paul Spence. A major part of my activities is to conceal ocean modelling and satellite altimetry observation to uncover physical processes in the subpolar Southern Ocean, such as Dense Water overflows or ocean-sea ice interactions.
I will also be involved in the development of regional Pan-Antarctic models and in-situ observations studies in the Southern Ocean.
Current ACEAS Activities:
I am currently investigating the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean during the Miocene, the last time the atmospheric CO2 level is comparable to the present. I will use stable isotopes and trace elements of microfossils to reconstruct Southern Ocean seawater chemistry in the past. Based on these reconstructions, I will try to understand the feedback between CO2 and the Southern Ocean phytoplankton productivity in a warm climate. I hope this work can provide insights into responses of the Earth’s climate to future atmospheric CO2. I will also investigate modern Polar Southern Ocean biogeochemistry using samples from upcoming Antarctic research voyages.
Current ACEAS Activities:
Since joining the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) as a Research Associate in March 2023, my primary focus has been on investigating ice fabric evolution and developing reliable fabric models for large-scale ice sheet models. I am working on incorporating viscous anisotropy into ice sheet models, which is crucial for improving our understanding of ice flow behaviour and ice sheet dynamics.
In addition to my research, I actively collaborate with fellow ACEAS researchers to advance knowledge in Antarctic science and climate research. Together, we are working on addressing some of the most pressing questions related to Antarctic ice dynamics and the impacts of climate change.
As part of my role within ACEAS, I also dedicate time to developing and presenting research findings at conferences and workshops. This allows me to contribute to the wider scientific community and ensure that our research reaches a broader audience.
Moreover, I am committed to mentoring and collaborating with students and early-career researchers in the field of glaciology and ice dynamics. I believe that fostering the growth and development of the next generation of scientists is essential for the continued advancement of our understanding of Antarctic ice and its role in global climate systems.
Mareen Lösing
Research Associate - Antarctic Crustal Geophysics and Bed Evolution
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Current ACEAS Activities:
The sub-glacial geology of the Antarctic continent is of fundamental importance to understanding ice sheet dynamics. Topography, composition, and properties of the bedrock control how fast the ice sheet slides and interacts with the underlying terrain. Additionally, areas with high heat producing rocks can contribute to increased geothermal heat flow, leading to basal melt and affecting the overall stability and flow dynamics of the ice sheet.
Mareen’s research will focus on advancing our understanding of subglacial geology in the Wilkes Land area. Her aim is to provide new interpretations to characterise the ice sheet bed and constrain conditions that influence glacial processes.
To achieve this, she will analyze geophysical data including gravity, magnetic and radar data. This will potentially generate information on bed-characteristics, which in collaboration with ACEAS, can be linked to ice sheet and ocean science outcomes.
Taimoor Sohail
Research Associate - Thermodynamic Constraints on Changes in the Antarctic
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Current ACEAS Activities:
I am currently working on understanding how and where ocean heat reaches the Antarctic margins, and the flow-on effects on basal ice melting there. I apply data science tools, including unsupervised learning, to state-of-the-art ocean models to glean new insights into the processes driving heat transport in the Southern Ocean.
Antarctic Bottom Water formation and dynamics in a changing climate
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
My PhD project focuses on Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) formation and dynamics in a changing climate. This water mass is a major component of the ocean’s meridional overturning circulation, redistributing heat, salt, nutrients, and carbon globally. AABW is mostly produced in coastal polynyas around the Antarctic continent and spreads northward in the abyssal layer, but most global ocean and climate models are not simulating this process correctly and instead form AABW via open-ocean convection. There are also no long-term observations of AABW formation on the Antarctic shelf due to the challenging environment, especially in winter. I am analysing the formation and export of AABW in the ocean–sea-ice model ACCESS-OM2-01 with a global horizontal resolution of 0.1° where the formation of AABW is accurately represented. In my first PhD project, I focus on the interannual variability of AABW formation and export and its sensitivity to atmospheric forcing and sea ice to advance our understanding of the mechanisms controlling the interannual variability of AABW formation.
The Dynamics of the Antarctic Slope Front
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
Ellie’s Ph.D. project utilises idealised models of the Antarctic Slope Front regimes to represent the key ocean dynamics of the Antarctic margin. The project aims to understand how topography, in the form of canyons and cavities, as well as wind and buoyancy forcings can influence heat transport onto the Antarctic continental shelf., which has implications on basal melt at the Antarctic Margin. Most geographical sections of the ocean around the Antarctic margin can be classified into the Antarctic Slope Front regimes. Hence, the study of the circulation, variability and forcings in these regimes are relevant to many sections of the Antarctic margin and the research of ACEAS.
Southern Ocean phytoplankton calcification
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
This project will investigate the relevance of calcifying phytoplankton on contemporary and future carbon cycling in the Great Calcite Belt. It will utilise satellite and BioGeoChemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) profiling float data to map regional imprints of calcifying phytoplankton on nutrient and carbon stoichiometry. It will further use laboratory incubations to assess the influence of calcifying phytoplankton on retention (as opposed to deep sequestration) of carbon and alkalinity in the surface with the goal to generate a mechanistic understanding of retention-versus-export processes. The project will also generate flow cytometric and/or microscopic datasets of phytoplankton communities from the sub-Antarctic during ship voyages to ground-truth characterisations of the phytoplankton community derived from BGC-Argo and satellite data. This project ties into Project 1 of ACEAS - determining the CO2 uptake capacity of the sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean with the use of BGC-Argo and satellite observations .
The Ice-Rock Interface Beneath the Great Ice Sheets of East Antarctica Using Seismic Waveforms
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
My research works toward modifying and developing a computational workflow to model seismic waves propagating through the ice-bedrock interface in the Antarctic environment. By doing so, I aim to better constrain the sensitivity of these structures and features to seismic signals and therefore help predict the expected data return from seismic surveys within the Antarctic interior. My project particularly focuses on the Aurora Basin and Knox Coast region of East Antarctica, where current geophysical observations are sparse and little is known within the deep subglacial basins. My research output will aim to inform upcoming field campaigns within the Denman-Scott area, optimizing the placement of new passive seismic instruments to monitor cryoseismic signals and map the subsurface structures.
Variability and forcing mechanisms of the Weddell Gyre
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
I am currently finishing my second year as a PhD student at the Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW. My background is in physical oceanography and my current project is focused on the Weddell Gyre, one of the largest features of the circulation in the Southern Ocean. In particular, I am investigating the gyre’s variability in different timescales, from seasonal to decadal, with the aim of understanding the extent and driving mechanisms for this variability. My main tool for this research is ACCESS-OM2 global ocean/sea ice numerical model. I am also contributing to a collaborative project which explores the sensitivity of Antarctic shelf waters and sea ice to wind amplitude. This project involves researchers from the UNSW, ANU and UTas. My PhD research would contribute to the ACEAS research program, since the Weddell Gyre’s variability, its drivers and timescales, have the potential to influence heat transport towards the Antarctic margin, rate and characteristics of dense shelf water production and sea ice concentration amongst others.
Understanding the drivers of interannual to multidecadal ocean heat content changes
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
I use the ocean-sea ice model ACCESS-OM2 to investigate how tropical climate variability interacts with the West Antarctic shelf circulation. During El Niño events, warm Circumpolar Deep Water is transported onto the continental shelf, and this leads to increased basal melt of grounded ice shelves. I am also planning to run multidecadal simulations with combined El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) forcing to investigate their impact on West Antarctica. From previous studies, we know that the response of ice shelves in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas is strongest during El Niño and a positive mode of the SAM.
I am particularly interested in engaging with other researchers in ACEAS’ Program 1 who will improve predictions of how ocean warming and sea level will be affected in the future by changes in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. My project will contribute to determine how atmospheric changes on the interannual to decadal time scale affects the ocean circulation at the Antarctic margin. My PhD project is computational and learning from researchers who focus on observational data and analysis will give me an important and more broad understanding of Antarctic science today and under a future climate.
How the complexity of continental breakup controls ocean circulation
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
With continents breaking apart or colliding, some seaways between different major ocean basins would open or close to control global ocean circulation. Especially, the opening of polar seaways like Tasmania gateway and the Drake Passage during the past 30-50 million years not only change polar ocean circulations, but also are proposed to potentially link to the onset or expansion of glaciation in the Antarctic. Previous studies have addressed the impacts of gateway opening on ocean circulation from regional to global scales. These model simulations typically compare a completely closed seaway with an open one to investigate the role of the gateway in triggering the onset of ocean currents such as Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Meridional Overturning Circulation. To test the sensitivity of ocean current pattern to gateway parameters such as depth and latitude relative to wind bands. We will conduct sensitivity tests using eddy-permitting models with paleo-bathymetry to ensure a state-of-the-art representation of ocean dynamics. The results of these tests will have the potential to enable us to re-interpret empirical observations of oceanographic flow through the ocean gateway.
Investigating Southern Indian Ocean Climate Variability using High-Resolution Ice Core Water Isotope Records
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
My project involves producing and interpreting a high-resolution water isotope record from an East Antarctic ice core – the Mount Brown South ice core, which was drilled in 2017/2018. This ice core record will provide us with a ~1000-year-long, an annually-resolved record of climate from Wilhelm II Land, a region of Antarctic which is currently lacking any long-term, high-resolution paleo-climate records. I am primarily interested in the information we can extract from water isotopes at this site, so part of my research involves improving our quantitative understanding of how water isotopes respond to climate conditions (primarily temperature) at this location. This information will then be used to provide a long-term reconstruction of temperature variability at both the ice core site and in the Southern Indian Ocean.
This work has links to Program 1 of ACEAS – the Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic program. There remain broad questions around long-term accumulation and temperature trends in East Antarctic, and a lack of high-resolution paleo-climate records in this location severely limits our abilities to understand these long-term trends. My work will help to constrain local temperature changes, while others involved in the project work to understand long term accumulation variability.
The Origin and Fate of Subantarctic Mode Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water in the Southern Ocean
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
I am interested in contributing to the ACEAS research program to continue and hopefully extend the projects described above, in particular, to better understand how Subantarctic Mode Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water absorb and store heat into the Southern Ocean. Specifically, I am interested in contributing to research that improves our understanding of how the increased ocean heat uptake is distributed by basin and across water masses, and the related processes at play, such as vertical heat transport via submesoscale / small mesoscale ocean dynamics. These projects will contribute to the ‘Heat and Circulation (2, 3)’ and ‘Detection and Attribution (4)’of Program 1 at ACEAS.
Non-linear controls on ocean circulation and mixing in marginal ice zones
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
The overturning circulation of the Southern Ocean is a critical aspect of global climate through its dominant role in air-sea heat and carbon exchange. It has been suggested that non-linear processes control the mixing between deep and surface water to generate intermediate water in the Southern Ocean. In this project I will investigate how non-linear mixing processes influence the water mass properties of the marginal ice zone and how they impact the upwelling of deep waters in the Southern Ocean. I will exploit both in-situ observations and both simple theoretical and numerical models. Fundamental understanding gained will be used in conjunction with global climate models to quantify the sensitivity of this system in a changing climate.
This work is part of project 1, specifically trying to address the role of heat and circulation in the circum and East Antarctic.
Glacier change detection using seismology and machine learning
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
Water at the ice-bedrock interface is a key control on glacier basal motion and subsequently ice sheet mass balance. However, key hydrological processes affecting this interface can be transient or hidden from view, so difficult to detect through satellite or direct observation. The primary goal of my research is to further develop passive seismic techniques for the continuous monitoring of active glaciers. A focus of the research will subsequently be on those hydrological processes that can both generate seismic signals, and influence ice sheet stability.
To achieve these goals and make passive seismology a viable method for characterising glacial hydrology, a variety of modern and innovative techniques from seismology, computational fluid dynamics, and machine learning will be utilised. This also leaves the potential for developed methodology to be extended to more general problems in environmental seismology. We first aim to model the flow of subglacial water using computational fluid models, such as smoothed particle hydrodynamics, and then use classical seismological methods to model the resultant surface expression. We then aim to use insights from these modelling methods to classify observational data according to the causal mechanism, with unsupervised machine learning playing a key role in this analysis.
This research primarily aligns with the goals of ACEAS Program 1 (Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic), in which Professor Reading is co-lead. It is particularly concerned with the focus areas of Sea Level and Detection and Attribution. The work also has links with Program 3 (Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins). As a part of this work, I am linked with the ‘Sub-ice continent’ working group.
Radiolarian contributions to the Southern Ocean silica cycle and a modern appraisal of palaeo-proxy use in the fossil record
Program 2: Regional East Antarctic and its Provinces
The aims of my PhD project are to expand our knowledge regarding modern Southern Ocean radiolarian assemblages and to use the radiolarian record found in deep sea ocean sediment cores as the primary proxy to reconstruct palaeoceanographic parameters in the Sabrina Coast region, East Antarctica.
I have compiled a surface sediment radiolarian dataset for the Southern Ocean and am using this data to quantify radiolarian diversity and richness and exploring how we can utilise this in future palaeoceanographic work, and categorising modern radiolarian assemblages into biogeographic provinces and trying to determine the taxonomic differences, and environmental factors, responsible for province partitions.
This knowledge will then be applied to the radiolarian record found in sediment cores retrieved from the Sabrina Coast shelf and slope environments to investigate the viability of producing radiolarian-based palaeotemperature estimates from cores so near the Antarctic continent and to reconstruct water mass movement on the Sabrina Coast slope and shelf throughout the Holocene.
Improve the resolution of Antarctic ice sheet mass balance
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
My research aim is to improve the resolution of ice sheet mass balance estimates in the Antarctic. The project focuses on the gravity method, which estimates mass variation using the measurement from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment missions (GRAEE and GRACE-FO). The GRACE and GRACE-FO missions allow direct measurements of monthly gravity variation induced by changes in ice sheet mass. However, the spatial resolution of this method is not good enough to show the real regional mass change, especially for regions that experience high mass variation or near the coast. To overcome this limitation, I will try to utilise ice height measurement from satellite altimetry, which has a higher spatial resolution, in the gravity method. This project will focus on regions with high mass change, such as East Antarctic. I will also investigate the regional mass variation of the Totten Glacier and Denman region.
These high-resolution mass balance estimates align with programs 1 and 3 of ACEAS, as they allow a better understanding, detection and attribution to improve sea level projection.
Deep Earth Controls on Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in East Antarctica: Probing Remote Worlds using Seismic Signals
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
Currently, East Antarctica contains a sparse distribution of isolated seismic recording stations, and much of East Antarctica has not been thoroughly explored using seismic signals. This makes it a challenge to constrain the material properties of the deep Earth beneath East Antarctica. Accurate models of glacial isostatic adjustment require knowledge of the structure and properties of the crust and upper mantle. My research aims to develop a new methodology for the use of seismic signals from isolated stations in order to constrain the material properties of the deep Earth beneath East Antarctica, focusing on stochastic inversion techniques. The outputs from this research will help to constrain predictions from models of glacial isostatic adjustment and ultimately improve future sea level projections.
The composition and evolution of diatoms around Antarctica inferred from marine sedimentary ancient DNA
Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
My project focuses on the reconstruction of diatom communities using sedaDNA from Antarctica. Through my study I hope to generate significant new knowledge about the response of Antarctica’s most important marine primary producers to past environmental change, leading to improved predictions about their future adaptation to the ongoing climate change, ultimately guiding ecosystem models and conservation efforts for Antarctica.
Hence, I believe my Ph.D. research aligns well with the activities planned by the Paleo-Reconstructions Working Group within Program 3 (Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margin) of ACEAS
Antarctic Krill sedaDNA: Probing ancient Antarctic krill populations
Program 3: Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins
Antarctic krill are a keystone species in the Antarctic marine ecosystem which is being threatened by climate change and commercial fisheries. My research aims to explore the population dynamics of Antarctic krill in the past through the use of sedimentary ancient DNA. This includes their abundance and distribution within the Antarctic marine ecosystem. The ability to study and begin understanding the population dynamics of Antarctic krill to past environmental changes is critical to improving predictions of how they will change in the future and assessing potential impacts on their sustainability. Krill leave no fossil record for microscopic investigation resulting in no paleo-studies which target them as of yet, but I hope to make this a realistic goal with the use of sedimentary ancient DNA.
This project primarily aligns with the Program 3 (Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margin) and the activities planned by the Paleo-Reconstructions Working Group.
Tracking human and natural changes in the ocean salinity in the southern hemisphere: evidence for Earth's accelerating water cycle
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
Ocean salinity is a key state variable of the oceans and reflects the imprint of precipitation and evaporation over the global oceans. Global changes of salinity in the global oceans are significant and widespread and the Southern Ocean has distinctly changes to other regions. The evidence is that these changes are driven by changing melt from Antarctica and from changing rainfall patterns (and evaporation) over the global oceans. These changes in the are likely to be a response to human influence in the climate system. In this project, I will mainly focus on: a) “Understand changes to the atmospheric circulation (including heat and moisture fluxes) across timescales associated with anthropogenic forcing, regional and remote variability. “ and b) “Determine how circulation changes/climate modes and other local processes affect ocean circulation at the Antarctic margin.”
Modelling basal melt in Antarctic ice shelf cavities
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
My project aims to use both idealised and more realistic ocean models to explore the physics of Antarctic ice shelf-ocean interactions and the ocean circulation in and near ice shelf cavities, which are important for predicting future sea level and climate. I am particularly interested in the implementation of these ice-ocean interactions in the newest generation of ocean and climate models. My project aligns well with the focus of ACEAS Program 1 (Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic) in its aim to quantify heat transport and Antarctic melt rates, as well as ACEAS Program 3 (Sub-regional and Regional Antarctic Margins), in its small-scale process focus which includes ice shelf cavities.
A coupled Earth systems approach ti modelling ice sheet change and its implications
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
Estimating the ice sheet mass loss over the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a key Earth system interaction governed by global warming. However, ice sheet mass balance estimates are fraught with uncertainty. The primary objective of my project is to address the risks in predicting changes in the total ice sheet mass balance and then examining methodologies to reduce the sources of uncertainty. My thesis will indirectly focus on Antarctica’s impact to global sea level through studies such as understanding the risks associated with estimating the ice sheet mass balance using methods such as satellite altimetry, and how these sources of uncertainty can be reduced in the future.
Broadly speaking, I will investigate the complex interactions between the ice-atmosphere-ocean, including forcings and feedbacks. I will apply computational, geophysical, and interdisciplinary approaches to advance the understanding of these interdependent Earth systems with an emphasis on modelling ice sheets and outlet glaciers. There will be a component to better constrain results from satellite altimeter data with ground-based observations and incorporating insights from the evolution of the firn. I will (i) explore potential avenues for coupling different technologies to bridge the information gap in the spatial and temporal coverage over the AIS, and (ii) address the uncertainty introduced by variations in the firn.
Understanding the circulation dynamics and water mass trends in abyssal Southern Ocean
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
My first PhD project focuses on the Antarctic Bottom Water pathways and their driving mechanisms in the Australian-Antarctic Basin of the Southern Ocean. Antarctic Bottom Water originates in several areas over the Antarctic shelf and forms a lower limb of the meridional overturning circulation controlling the Earth’s climate. After its formation on the shelf, it overflows the shelfbreak and, due to high density and under the effect of gravity, sinks into the abyssal ocean where it spreads northward and eventually covers more than 50% of the ocean floor.
Despite the importance of the Antarctic Bottom Water for the global climate, there are no long-term observations because of Antarctica's remoteness and harsh conditions. I study Antarctic Bottom Water originated in Eastern Antarctica in the ACCESS-OM2 model with 0.1-degree horizontal resolution aiming to find accurate pathways through which the water enters the abyss and to understand the physical mechanisms controlling them.
Long-term changes of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 2: Regional East Antarctic and its Provinces
This project will explore the variation of decadal responses and the dynamics of the Southern Ocean phytoplankton using multi-decadal records of satellite observations and large-scale climate drivers (like El Nino/La Nina). This study will play a crucial role in understanding the long-term changes in the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean. 25-year records of satellite-derived physical parameters (sea-surface temperature, wind speed and sea-surface height) and biological parameters (phytoplankton chlorophyll concentration) will be used to conduct this experiment. In addition to these parameters, outputs of ocean models will also be analysed to assess the temporal signals and relationships using statistical and/or machine learning techniques. The outcomes of this project are expected to be helpful in evaluating the impact of various scenarios of change in the physical environment on future changes in phytoplankton.
The activity is part of programs 1 (Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic) and 2 (Regional East Antarctic and its Provinces) of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS).
Ocean circulation and connectivity around the Antarctic margin
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic
My PhD project focuses on large scale circulation and connectivity around the Antarctic margin. Different regions of the Antarctic shelf are connected via two westward flowing currents. However, the timescales over which these currents connect different regions, and the strength and pathways of this connectivity, remain poorly constrained owing to the challenges associated with observing this largely ice-covered region.
To address this, and improve our understanding of circumpolar connectivity around Antarctica, I use Lagrangian particle tracking in a high-resolution ocean-sea ice model. The findings of this project help to understand the locations and timescales over which anomalies, such as meltwater from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, can be redistributed downstream, feeding into ACEAS Program 1. My second PhD project explores the vulnerability of the Antarctic coastline to non-native marine biota that arrive via rafting ocean objects. Antarctica is generally considered a pristine environment, with much of the marine ecosystem showing high levels of endemism, making it particularly vulnerable to the introduction of non-native species. The extreme environmental conditions in Antarctica, which have traditionally been considered a barrier to the successful establishment of these non-native species, are becoming increasingly more suitable for a variety of non-native biota, warranting an investigation into which regions are, and will be, most vulnerable in the future. Understanding when and where these impacts will first be felt is important for informing monitoring and management practices around the continent. This project ties into ACEAS Programs 1 and 2.
Understanding the mechanism of Southern Ocean deep chlorophyll maxima
Program 1: Circum Antarctic and East Antarctic / Program 2: Regional East Antarctic and its Provinces
Deep chlorophyll maxima (DCMs) are a phenomenon that widely consists in the ocean that the chlorophyll has maximum concentration below the sea surface. A biomass maximum is existing with DCMs simultaneously, affecting the Southern Ocean food-webs and carbon cycle. DCMs are mostly studied in tropical and subtropical ocean, which is mainly influenced by the surface nutrient limitation. The formation of DCMs in the Southern Ocean is different with that in tropical regions. Southern Ocean is such an HNLC area, which is caused by the low iron abundance on the surface water, which could cause DCMs. Additionally, light, temperature and grazing are regarded as the proposed factors impacting the Southern Ocean DCMs. In this project, I will use biogeochemical model to simulate the seasonal variation of chlorophyll distribution in Southern Ocean to determine how DCMs form. Also, I will do some sensitivity tests to show which factor(s) drive the formation of Southern Ocean DCMs and how the Southern Ocean DCMs influence the marine biological production and the global carbon cycle. This project aligns with ACEAS Program 1 and 2, help understanding the drivers of DCMs and the contribution to Southern Ocean productivity and biogeochemical cycles.
