CcASH Project Profile

The study of Earth's climate system of the past archived in corals, tree-rings, glacial deposits, ocean sediments and ice cores reveals a complex scale of variations ranging from major Glacial Cycles (100,000 years), millennial timescales (1,000 years) and even decadal changes (ie El Nino). "Global patterns" of climate change are inferred principally from Northern Hemisphere records and modelling approaches. Critical questions are now being asked about the intensity and mode of abrupt climate transition patterns across Earth's hemispheres. However, with a scarcity of Southern Hemisphere studies, answers are not readily available.

The Cosmogenic climate Archives of the Southern Hemisphere, CcASH project is an ANSTO initiative, focussing on select Southern Hemisphere archives to (a) enhance our knowledge of past climate variability in Australasia and Antarctica in order to better predict future change in our region and (b) to study landscape evolution processes and past environmental conditions to better manage our fragile land and resources into the future. 

Project Leader: Dr David Fink

Objectives/aims:

• Provide new geochronological data on paleoclimate change and of landscape evolution processes pertinent to the Southern Hemisphere to improve our knowledge of regional climate variability and past environmental conditions
• Provide access to ANSTO's capabilities in application of isotopes related to paleoclimate studies in unique archives and to environmental management and assessment
• Provide a framework for interaction of researcher scientists and students in this field to exchange their multi-disciplinary expertise.

Project Team:
Ed Hodge, Andrew Smith, Quan Hua, Vladimir Levchenko, Henrik Rother, Mathew Fisher, Geraldine Jacobsen, Chris Waring, Helem McGregor, Charles Mifsud, Alan Williams, Andrew Jenkinson, Peter Drewer, Prhaba Pratap, Fiona Bertuch, Krista Simon

Significant Collaborations:

• Prof Greg Skilbeck, UTS (ocean sediments and paleo-ENSO )
• Prof James Shulemeister, Univ of Canterbury, NZ (glacial chronologies)
• Drs Vin Morgan and Tas van Omen, Australian Antarctic Division (Ice core studies )
• Prof  Woodroffe (Univ of Wollongong) and Dr Drysdale (Newcastle) (Speleothems and corals)
• Dr Ping Kong, Institute for Geophysics and Geology, Beijing, China.(landscape studies, erosion rates)

Publications:
J. Shulmeister, D. Fink, P. Augustinus, A cosmogenic nuclide chronology of the last glacial transition in North-West Nelson, New Zealand - new insights in Southern Hemisphere climate forcing during the last deglaciation. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, 233 (2005) 455-466.

Q. Hua, C. Woodroffe, S. G. Smithers, M. Barbetti and D. Fink,  Radiocarbon in corals from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean: Implication for ocean circulation,  Geophys Res Lett, Vol. 32, (2005) L21602.

D. Fink, B. McKelvey, M. Hambrey, D. Fabel , R. Brown,  Pleistocene deglaciation chronology of the Radok Lake basin, Amery Oasis, northern Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica., Earth Planet Sci Letters 243 (2006) 229-243.

Mackintosh, A., White, D., Fink, D., Gore, D.,  Exposure ages from mountain dipsticks in Mac.Robertson Land, East Antarctica, indicate little change in ice sheet thickness since the Last Glacial Maximum,  2007, Geology, in press (G23503AR).

For Further Information

Contact: Dr David Fink

Phone: +61 2 9717 3048

Email: david.fink@ansto.gov.au