Quaternary Paleoecology and Paleoclimatology

 

Programme Leaders

James Shulmeister, Kerry Swanson, Maureen Marra, Richard Holdaway, Phil Tonkin

 

Collaborators

P. deDekker (A.N.U., Canberra), Thomas Jellinek (Senkenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany), Rich Leschen (Landcare Research, Auckland), Jim Renwick (NIWA, Wellington), Glenn Thackray (Idaho State University), Helen Neil (NIWA), Todd Oakley (UC-Santa Barbara), David Fink, ANSTO, Uwe Rieser, Victoria University of Wellington and Nicki Whitehouse (Queen's University Belfast).

 

Research Students

Phillip Burge, Craig Woodward, Kerry Stevens, Rob Rose, Olivia Hyatt and Frances Gaiger.

 

The Programme includes

Causes of New Zealand Glaciations – Geochronological, geomorphological and sedimentological investigations of the nature of past ice advances in New Zealand.

 

Nutrient fluxes from seabirds over the Late Quaternary. Stable isotope (C,N) and tree ring studies.

 

Ostracod taxonomy and phylogeny - diversification processes in the deep ocean, dispersal and biogeography, with special emphasis on subantarctic islands and the Southern Ocean

Ostracod shell chemistry - primary chemical signals and the impact of taphonomy and diagenesis.

Paleoecology and physiology of native macro-fauna and the Pacific Rat.

 

Paleoentomology and palynology – Fossil beetle and pollen studies focussing on the reconstruction of past temperature and ecological information from Late Quaternary sites around New Zealand.

Paleolimnology – reconstruction of past conditions in New Zealand lakes contributing to both paleoecological studies and modern lake impact work. We are developing chironomids as a tool for reconstructing lake trophic and temperature conditions.

 

Southern Ocean paleoceanography - Quaternary temperature and alkalinity fluctuations

 

Orbital or Thermal Causes of Glaciation in New Zealand

Queens University Belfast (UK) Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology (14 CHRONO)

 

Maximum Likelihood Envelope Model for use with paleoecological (fossil beetle) distribution information and climate data.