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Associate Professor Helen Bostock Lyman

Associate Professor and Deputy Head

School of the Environment
Faculty of Science
h.bostock@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56082

Overview

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).

Research Interests

  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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.

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.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

View all Supervision

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.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Adrift in the Anthropocene

    Shulmeister, James, Davies, Timothy R. H., Bostock, Helen, Purdie, Heather, Nicol, Andrew, Shane, Philip A. and McGlone, Matt (2017). Adrift in the Anthropocene. Landscape and quaternary environmental change in New Zealand. (pp. 313-334) edited by James Shulmeister. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.2991/978-94-6239-237-3_9

  • The climate of New Zealand through the Quaternary

    Lorrey, A. M. and Bostock, H. (2017). The climate of New Zealand through the Quaternary. Landscape and Quaternary environmental change in New Zealand. (pp. 67-139) edited by James Shulmeister. Paris, France: Atlantis Press. doi: 10.2991/978-94-6239-237-3_3

Journal Article

Conference Publication

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Oceanography and modelling on the Cape Darnley region, East Antarctica

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

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

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • 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.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Oceanography, Seafloor mapping, Past climate, Ocean carbon

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: A-6834-2013

ORCID: 0000-0002-8903-8958

Scopus ID: 12795777100

Personal Profile: Link

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