Past events
Bottom topography and oceanic variability - Joe LaCasce (U. Oslo) »
Many fundamental theories of ocean circulation neglect bottom topography. Indeed, flat bottom ocean basins are still used today to study a range of phenomena. Here we examine evidence that the bottom affects eddies throughout the water column. Current meter data point to the existence...
Multi-faceted mineral exploration: something for everyone »
Mineral exploration is known as a boom and bust industry. In boom times, explorers make money, drill, get excited and some even direct funds towards research to break into new frontiers such as exploration technologies for application in buried, prospective terranes. In bust times, explorers tighten their belts in...
Using Antarctic ice to unravel past changes in the Earth's magnetic field »
Geomagnetic excursions provide information on field mechanics and serve as a chronostratigraphic tool. Interpretation of sedimentological paleointensity records is complicated, and volcanic rocks provide only non-continuous records. Another means for reconstructing paleomagnetic intensity is analyzing cosmogenic...
Geochemical modelling of the formation of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i »
Hawaii is the archetypal example of intra-plate 'hotspot' volcanism, yet the mechanisms of plume formation, hotspot volcano formation, and the nature of chemical heterogeneity in hotspot lavas such as those at Hawaii remain in question. Of particular interest is understanding what physical and chemical processes...
Antarctic ice sheet dynamics and evolution: a modelling perspective - Felicity McCormack (UTAS) »
Antarctic ice sheet dynamics and evolution: a modelling perspective Antarctica is a dynamic component of the Earth system, modulating global mean sea levels on timescales of decades to glacial cycles. Here, I discuss the components of the governing equations for ice flow, including recent...
Haddon Forrester King Lecture: Porphyry copper, gold and molybdenum deposits – new geochemical exploration methods to aid discovery »
In the past decade, significant research efforts have been devoted to mineral chemistry studies to assist porphyry exploration. These activities can be divided into two major fields of research: (1) porphyry indicator minerals (PIMS), which aims to identify the presence of, or potential for, porphyry-style...
Reconstruction of seawater 14C from a Porites coral living outside of the Runit Island Dome »
After the WWII, Enewetak Atoll was used to test nuclear weapons; the program ran from 1948 to 1958. After an intermittent use from 1958 to 1972 it was decided to return Enewetak Atoll to the Marshallese after the establishment and completion of the clean-up operations. The island of Runit (on Eastern side of Atoll...
Ice sheets, climate, and sea level, from the past to the future »
Even with government pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Paris Agreement, we are likely committed to 3-4C surface warming above pre-industrial levels by 2100 CE, leading to enhanced ice-sheet melt. But the mechanisms by which the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets advance and retreat differ,...