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Below we list potential student projects in RSES, with links to relevant supervisors and research groups. For a list of topics, research groups, and research projects in RSES, please see the research projects page
Biogeochemistry
Using Porites coral cores to examine elemental and isotopic proxies to develop proxy reconstructions of the environment.
Utilize elemental, isotopic and radiometric proxies trapped in deep sea coral skeletons to examine past climate.
Diatoms are an important primary producer group and currently account for 40% of global primary production. The sequestration of carbon into the deep ocean by diatoms makes them key players in the modulation of atmospheric CO2 levels and global climate.
There is growing evidence from both laboratory and...
Utilize the state of the art AMS and radiocarbon preparation labs at RSES to trace carbon through the environment.
The Early Paleozoic is a critical time for the evolution of life on Earth, deposition of organic-rich rocks and the generation of global petroleum accumulations. Canning Basin Ordovician cores contain the microfossils G. prisca and E. maureeniae, representing a unique opportunity to investigate their molecular fossils
Research supports
The group has funding to support one highly motivated PhD student, based on competition of applicants (academic background, research ideas, etc). Contact me if you are interested.
We also welcome candidates who can raise fund (e.g., China Scholarship Council,...
The Proterozoic saw the emergence of eukaryotic life on Earth. The Carrara 1 well in the South Nicholson Basin will recover pristine cores of Mesoproterozoic, Paleoproterozoic and Cambrian age. These cores offer a unique opportunity to investigate the ancestry of eukaryotes using molecular fossils preserved in rocks.
Climate and Fluid Physics
Use your skills in physics, mathematics or computational science to better understand our climate system.
The melting of Antarctica’s marine-terminating ice sheets is controlled by heat delivered from the Southern Ocean to the Antarctic margins, and is the largest uncertainty in future sea level rise. This project will use a combination of ocean modelling, theory and observations to predict future Antarctic melt rate.
The ocean is a sea of internal gravity waves. Similar to the gravity waves that propagate over the ocean surface and break along our coastlines, internal waves propagate great distances through the ocean interior. These waves are generated at the ocean surface and the seafloor by a variety of mechanisms. As the...
The Southern Ocean is a key contributor to global climate. It regulates the absorption of CO2 into the ocean, plays a key role in ocean heat uptake and most likely influenced abrupt climate variability in the past. However, the processes that limit Southern Ocean circulation occur at very fine scales,...
Environmental Geodesy
This project involves quantifying changes in water resources in Australia. The student will learn all aspects of processing space gravity data from the GRACE Follow-On mission and how to integrate remotely sensed observations into hydrology models. Maths/physics and programming skills are highly desired for the study.
Signals transmitted from satellites orbiting the Earth are delayed as they pass through the troposphere of the Earth. This is measurable by GPS and so it is possible to measure how much water vapour is actually in the atmosphere using GPS. This is a new area of research that will involve the student learning about...
Experimental Petrology
This project will investigate controls on the abundances of niobium and tantalum, two important "critical metals", in cassiterite mineralisation associated with Paleozoic granitoid intrusions in eastern Australia. A further key aspect will investigate novel technologies for extraction of Nb and Ta from cassiterite.
Experimental petrology is about subjecting rocks and minerals to pressure, temperature and other conditions that occur in the Earth, in order to investigate and understand processes that lead to diverse processes including volcanism, plate tectonics, ore deposit formation, differentiation of the Earth and many others.
Revising the chlorite geothermometer to understand the formation mechanisms of ore deposits
Pyrochlor is the main ore mineral for the critical metal niobium, and is most commonly found in carbonatites. This project aims to use experimental petrology to understand the conditions under which economic deposits of pyrochlor can form, during crustal evolution of carbonatite magmas.
The age and tectonic setting of basaltic intrusions of the south coast of NSW
The rocks of the Sydney Basin and Lachlan Fold Belt exposed along the south coast of NSW contain numerous basaltic (basalt and dolerite) intrusions (e.g. Bingie Bingie Point, Dolphin Point, Snake Bay, Long Reef, North Bondi). The ages of these dykes and sills are unknown, however, they are assumed to be Tertiary...
Zircon (ZrSiO4) and monazite (CePO4) are common minor minerals in granites. Although they are not abundant they are important because they are the host of many elements that are incompatible in the rock-forming minerals. For example, the ability of zircon to incorporate U has made it the...
Geophysics
Seeking a suitably qualified student to participate in an extension of this distinctive experimental work.
River systems hold information on tectonic history in their sediment load and their morphology.
Coupled models of tectonics, topography and surface evolution help us to understand continental deformation patterns.
This project uses state-of-the-art tools in models of collision, basin formation and plate boundaries.
The recent over-ice seismic deployments in Antarctica provide datasets that enable exciting opportunities for seismological research. This project involves innovative development in passive seismology methods adapted for challenging icy conditions to unravel ice and solid Earth structure in Antarctica.
Some of the oldest continental building blocks (e.g. cratons) are found in Australia. At depth, the ancient rock record has invaluable information about the dynamics of the Earth. Seismology can provide remarkable views into the deep lithospheric structure using imaging techniques on broadband seismic data.
