FEC for sailing participant on IODP Leg 318 (Wilkes Land glacial history)
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Earth Science and Engineering
Abstract
Understanding the evolution and dynamics of the Antarctic cryosphere, from its inception during the Eocene-Oligocene transition (~33 Ma) through the significant periods of climate change during the Cenozoic, is not only of major scientific interest but also is of great importance for society. The transition from Greenhouse to Icehouse Earth conceivably was the most significant step in large-scale planetary change, impacting global sea level, albedo, and oceanographic and biotic evolution, among other changes. State-of-the-art climate models combined with paleoclimatic proxy data suggest that the main triggering mechanism for initial inception and development of the Antarctic glaciation was the decreasing levels of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. With current rising atmospheric greenhouse gases resulting in rapidly rising global temperatures, studies of polar climate, and the Antarctic cryosphere behaviour in particular, are prominent on the research agenda. Drilling the Antarctic Wilkes Land margin is designed to provide a long-term record, obtained from sedimentary archives along an inshore to offshore transect, of Antarctic glaciation and its intimate relationships with global climatic and oceanographic change. Stratigraphic interpretations indicate that the Wilkes Land record will include the critical periods in Cenozoic Earth climate evolution when the cryosphere formed, likely in step-wise fashion, and subsequently evolved to assume its present-day configuration. With my research I will help to tackle some of the fundamental goals of the research expedition: 1. The study of the first layer of ice-rafted debris will tell us about the timing and nature of the first arrival of ice at the Wilkes Land margin. 2. The study of ice-rafted debris over the past 34 million years will tell us about the transition of a fluctuating early East Antarctic ice sheet into a more stable East Antarctic ice sheet. It will also shed light on the important aspect of ice stability in times of warmer climatic periods. 3. The study of the seawater chemistry in the Southern Ocean over the past 34 million years will furthermore tell us how the build-up of the Antarctic ice sheet influenced ocean chemistry in this important part of the world's ocean. Linking this back to the extent of the ice sheet, prevailing continental weathering, and productivity in the ocean, will help us develop major links in the climate system.
Publications
Huck C
(2016)
Robustness of fossil fish teeth for seawater neodymium isotope reconstructions under variable redox conditions in an ancient shallow marine setting
in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
Huck C
(2017)
Antarctic climate, Southern Ocean circulation patterns, and deep water formation during the Eocene
in Paleoceanography
Houben AJ
(2013)
Reorganization of Southern Ocean plankton ecosystem at the onset of Antarctic glaciation.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Cook C
(2017)
Glacial erosion of East Antarctica in the Pliocene: A comparative study of multiple marine sediment provenance tracers
in Chemical Geology
Cook C
(2013)
Dynamic behaviour of the East Antarctic ice sheet during Pliocene warmth
in Nature Geoscience
Colleoni F
(2022)
Antarctic Climate Evolution
Bijl PK
(2013)
Eocene cooling linked to early flow across the Tasmanian Gateway.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Bertram R
(2018)
Pliocene deglacial event timelines and the biogeochemical response offshore Wilkes Subglacial Basin, East Antarctica
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Title | Grantham art prize |
Description | Melanie King created spinach anthotype of the B46 iceberg that calved off Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica. |
Type Of Art | Artwork |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Impact | Great interactions with the general audience at the award ceremony and following reception. |
URL | https://www.melaniek.co.uk/pine-island-glacier#! |
Description | IODP Expedition 318 sailed from 4 January to 8 March 2010 and recovered ~2000 metre of sediment from the Wilkes Land margin, covering the Eocene (~50 million years ago) to Holocene (past 10,000 years) time periods. PI van de Flierdt sailed as inorganic geochemist and also took the lead in editing results on geochemistry and microbiology from the expedition. |
Exploitation Route | The expedition was the first Antarctic Drilling Expedition since ~10 years. The amount of papers published so far clearly shows that it was overdue. Only by recovering sediment cores from proximal locations we can tell the complete story of Antarctic ice sheet and climate evolution. |
Sectors | Environment |
Description | See follow up grants as well as long list of publications resulting so far from this expedition. The results will provide critical information for any research on Antarctic climate and ice sheet evolution, as well as on other fields of Earth Sciences. Results from past warm periods are particularly relevant for policy decision regarding a definition of 'dangerous climate change in the future'. |
First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Antarctic Deep Water Circulation and Continental Weathering from the Eocene Greenhouse to the Oligocene Icehouse (IODP Expedition 318, Wilkes Land) |
Amount | £50,682 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/I006257/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2010 |
End | 01/2012 |
Description | Antarctic ice sheet history revealed by marine sediment provenance |
Amount | £9,900 (GBP) |
Funding ID | IE110878 |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Deglacial ice dynamics in the Weddell Sea embayment using sediment provenance |
Amount | £320,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ANT 1342213 |
Organisation | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United States |
Start | 10/2014 |
End | 09/2017 |
Description | History of the East Antarctic ice sheet since the mid-Miocene: new evidence from provenance of ice-rafted debris |
Amount | £215,029 (GBP) |
Funding ID | ANT 0944489 |
Organisation | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | Instability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Pliocene warmth? |
Amount | £73,998 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/H014144/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2010 |
End | 09/2012 |
Description | Ocean-ice Interaction in the Ross Sea during Past Warm Periods |
Amount | £25,152 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/R018219/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2018 |
End | 12/2019 |
Description | Reconstructing the stability of the Antarctic ice sheets |
Amount | £250,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | A Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2014 |
End | 09/2018 |
Description | IODP Expedition 318 collaborations |
Organisation | IODP Expedition 318 collaborations |
Country | Japan |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Participation in IODP Expedition 318 has resulted in numerous new collaborations with a large range of shipboard and shore-based scientist. Listing each individual collaborator would be too numberous. Many of the names can be retrieved from a look at the papers published so far. |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | Blog from IODP expedition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I run a blog reporting live from IODP expedition 318 to Wilkes Land, Antarctica. Many enthusiastic comments about my blog from friend, family, students, and the general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | EGU poster presentation 2011 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Poster presentation at the EGU 2011 in Vienna, on 'Bulk sediment geochemistry as a tool in palaeoclimate studies; preliminary results from shipboard analyses of IODP Expedition 318' highlighting the value of shipboard bulk sediment geochemistry for preliminary interpretations. Positive comments on modification of IODP protocols for shipboard geochemistry on palaeoceanography legs. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
Description | Evening lecture in Cardiff |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Sparked questions and discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Evening talk 2013 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Evening talk on Antarctic Science at the Amateur Geological Society in London. Good follow up discussions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
Description | Great Exhibition Road Festival - Blast from the Past |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Great Exhibition Road Festival is a new three day celebration of curiosity, discovery and exploration that brings together science and the arts in the spirit of the Great Exhibition of 1851.We had a stand to bring the science done by the International Ocean Discovery Programme (IODP) closer to a general audience. From climate change, over earthquakes, to impacts that killed the dinosaurs. We had truly fantastic interactions with countless member of the public, young and old, scientifically-inclined and intrigued. The festival was visited by 60,000 people and our stand was on the main road. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/193776/great-exhibition-road-festival-2019-earns/ |
Description | Great Exhibition Road Festival - Uncovering our future in Antarctica's past |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Sparked questions and discussion afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/event/uncovering-our-future-antarcticas-past/?backto=w... |
Description | History of Antarctic drilling video |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Participated in filming for a video on the history of Antarctic drilling. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN9faSiGUZQ |
Description | Inaugural lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Inaugural lecture to a broad audience of colleagues, friends, and the general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/96929/drilling-for-our-future-in-antarcticas-past/ |
Description | London International Youth Science Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Outreach talk on Antarctic Science at the London International Youth Science Forum Enthusiastic response from participating pupils. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | MAGIC Elements |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Hundreds of under-12s visited the Imperial Festival stand on MAGIC Elements with their parents. They dressed up as scientists, learned about elements and isotopes, and even about how Antarctica once was a continent with palm trees at its shorelines. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/185986/imperial-festival-transforms-under-12s-into-mini/ |
Description | Media contact Grantham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Part of a small group of Grantham affiliates that helps with media requests. My expertise is in the are of palaeoclimate and Antarctic ice sheets |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019 |
Description | Open Day 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk about Earth Science at College wide Open Day. Hopefully it inspires pupils to come and study Earth Sciences! |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Pint of Science 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Outreach talk in a pub to explain science to the general public in a friendly environment. Sparked great discussions on Antarctic ice sheets and sea level change under future climate conditions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Pint of Science 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Outreach talk in a pub to explain science to the general public in a friendly environment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/understanding-antarctica |
Description | Royal Meterological Society meeting - the Pliocene |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Media briefing ahead of the Pliocene meeting organised by the Royal Meterological Society and the Grantham Institute for Climate and the Environment and hosted by the Science Media Centre. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Shipboard outreach program |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A number of weekly videos as well as a trailer and an expedition summary were produced by a professional videographer on the JOIDES Resolution and were distributed via YouTube. Gained lots of enthusiastic responses and marked a novel way to do outreach on an IODP expedition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
Description | Talk for year 4 in Judith Kerr primary school |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | I talked to school pupils who had discussed Antarctic discovery as part of their curriculum about my experiences on research expeditions to Antarctica. I probably have never answer more questions in one hour than from these enthusiastic 7-year olds. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Tweets about climate change, Antarctica, women in science, STEM related topics and (Earth) Science in general. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
Description | UK Antarctic Research talk 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Overview talk on the provenance work on Antarctic ice sheets. Was received well by the Antarctic research community. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | UK IODP conference 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Keynote speaker at the UK IODP conference. Reported results of IODP Expedition 318 to date. Great feedback on how successful this particular expedition was, and great discussions about the work done in my group. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | evening lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Evening talk at the Harrow and Hillingdon Geological Society in NE London on 'Reconstructing the history of the Antarctic ice sheet. Clues from the past for the future?' Talk lead to a very good discussion with the members of the society and a follow up write-up in their monthly newsletter. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |