Research at RSES

Research at RSES is conducted by four broad Research areas, each of which consists of one or more research groups, and by an additional research area PRISE through which external researchers can access RSES research facilities and expertise for collaborative or commercial research projects; The research areas are a useful way for the school to direct resources and funding in a dynamic and ever changing research environment. Further to this we have a thematic research outline that allows prospective students and collaborators the opportunity to make contact with RSES research groups and broaden the scope of their field through communication.

	Climate Change	Predictions of climate change depend upon climate dynamics, and can be constrained by records of past climates captured in caves, corals, ocean sediments and shorelines. The present-day effects of melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels and changing ocean circulation are measured through various techniques. Providing accurate scientific evidence of present change and future predictions is critical.
	Earth Over Time	Processes and their timing are the key factors in Earth history. Timing includes both the absolute time when an even occurs, but also its longevity, which then defines rates of processes. The Earth is a dynamic place over the whole of geological time and the nature of the processes has continually changed. Research covers diverse areas from the development of the first crust on Earth, development of life, evolution of plate tectonics, evolution of Earth's crust, development of life on Earth.
	Earth Dynamics	The deformation of the Earth's crust changes on different time scales and by different processes. We analyze the physical processes acting on and within the planet through numerical modelling, 3D and 4D imaging, tectonics, and structural and observational analysis. Present-day continental drift, pre-, co- and post-seismic earthquake deformation are studied through satellite geodesy.
	The Oceans	Ocean volume and circulation is affected by changes in the Earth's climate. The ocean circulation is driven by atmospheric winds, and by sinking of cold, dense water in the polar oceans. This circulation transports heat, chemicals, nutrients and salinity around the global ocean, and represents an important part of the earth's climate and ecosystem. Sea level variation arises from melting of polar ice caps, thermal expansion and changes in precipitation/runoff/evaporation interactions with the continents and atmosphere.
	The Planets	The Solar System formed 4.56 billion years ago out of a swirling molecular cloud of dust and gas. The solar nebula only lasted for several million years, but resulted in the system of planets, moons, asteroids and comets that we see today.
	The Earth's Interior	The physical and chemical processes acting on and within our planet are constrained through a combination of field, laboratory and computational studies. Areas of study include use of seismological information to constraint Earth structure and earthquake processes and laboratory and field studies to understand physical and chemical behaviour of rocks and minerals at depth.
	Landscape Evolution	This research addresses basic questions concerning soil and regolith: (i) How old is the regolith? (ii) what are the natural, sustainable rates of soil production and erosion? (iii) what are the rates of sediment transport from hill-slopes to rivers? (iv) what is the residence time of sediment in river and floodplain systems?

RSES Research Areas

• Earth Chemistry use isotopic and chemical abundances to tell us about the age and processes involved in geological and planetary systems.
  

• Earth Environment conducts research in environmental processes, environmental geochemistry and geochronology
  

• Earth Materials includes the Rock Physics, Experimental Petrology & Structure/Tectonics Groups.
  

• Earth Physics includes the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Geodynamics, Seismology Groups, and the Centre for Advanced Data Inference
  

• PRISE conducts collaborative or commercial projects for which external researchers require access to RSES facilities and expertise.

The RSES Annual Report contains information on research conducted in the preceding year and the future directions of the research divisions.

A number of RSES researchers are involved in the ANU Planetary Science Institute, a joint venture between RSES and the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU.

Click here to read about recent Research Highlights at RSES.