[Aqualist] Fwd: Earth Science Seminar Series | Friday 8 April (3:10 pm ACST) | A/Prof. John Tibby | The University of Adelaide

Wed Apr 6 18:54:10 AEST 2022

Dear colleagues,

I believe this exciting talk might be of interest to must of us: John Tibby will be presenting at the next Earth Science Seminar Series at the University of Adelaide. The talk can be accessed per zoom (see below for zoom details and abstract):

Title: “Mid-Holocene aridity on K'gari (Fraser Island), south-east Queensland, and implications for understanding palaeoclimate”.

Cheers

Alex,
on behalf of Dr Jess Walsh (co-organiser of the seminar series)

Dr. Alex Francke
Research Associate
Department of Earth Sciences | School of Physical Sciences | Faculty of Sciences
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Phone: +61 831 30894
alexander.francke at adelaide.edu.au<mailto:alexander.francke at adelaide.edu.au>

Dear colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce that the next seminar as part of the Earth Science Seminar Series<https://sciences.adelaide.edu.au/events/list/2022/02/earth-sciences-seminars-2022> will be presented by A/Prof. John Tibby<https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/john.tibby>(The University of Adelaide). John will be speaking this Friday 8th April (3:10 pm ACST) in the Mawson Lecture Theatre (The University of Adelaide) and on Zoom. For those joining in-person masks are mandatory for audience members (also maintain 1.5 m physical distancing). Please use the below details to access via Zoom.

Title: “Mid-Holocene aridity on K'gari (Fraser Island), south-east Queensland, and implications for understanding palaeoclimate”.

Abstract: Lakes are some of the most biodiverse, yet vulnerable, ecosystems on the planet. In Australia, permanent lakes are relatively rare. By contrast, K'gari or Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, has a large number of permanent lakes and represents one of the few lake districts on the continent. K'gari lakes are remarkable because many are perched above the regional water table where an impermeable layer separates them from the sand below. They are one of the main reasons why the island is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Holocene sediment sequences have now been analysed from at least six K'gari lakes.   There was marked aridity on the island from c. 8300 to 5500 years ago. Some lakes dried completely at a time previously thought to be characterised by humid climates in the region. Interestingly, in some sequences there is little to no physical evidence of drying which is recorded as a hiatus in the accumulation of highly organic, acidic, lake sediments.

The mid-Holocene dry phase recorded on K'gari contrasts with evidence from North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), a similar sand island which also has perched lakes, approximately 150 km to the south. As a result, there is strong potential to infer the Holocene regional climatology of the Australian subtropics at small spatial scales from these records.  These findings also call into question reconstructions of large-scale Holocene climate dynamics from individual locations.

Lastly, this study highlights a largely unrecognised vulnerability of lakes on K’gari to drying and indicates a need to better understand their hydrology and response to projected future climate change.

Biography: Associate Professor John Tibby is a Physical Geographer whose main research interest is in understanding environmental change. The bulk of his work focusses on inferring past climate and human impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A particular focus of this work has been on trying to infer the separate effects of climate variation and human impact as drivers of environmental change. Over the last decade the bulk of John’s research has been undertaken on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) and in the lower lakes of the River Murray. This work is the product of collaborations between academics in Australia and overseas, research students, and government scientists (particularly those from the Department of Environment and Science, Queensland).

Zoom: https://adelaide.zoom.us/j/83679479330?pwd=VTdoNENmNTJGQTdFbG5hdnlCUXEyUT09

Passcode: ThePenguin

We look forward to seeing you either in person or online this Friday 8th April (3:10 pm ACST).

Best wishes,
Jess Walsh and Alex Francke
jessica.walsh at adelaide.edu.au<mailto:jessica.walsh at adelaide.edu.au>
alexander.francke at adelaide.edu.au<mailto:alexander.francke at adelaide.edu.au>
Dr Jessica Walsh (she/her)
Postdoctoral Researcher | ARC Grant-Funded Researcher
Australian Critical Minerals Research Centre

Department of Earth Sciences | School of Physical Sciences | Faculty of Sciences
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
Room G41, Mawson Building
Phone: (08) 8313 5934 | +61 (0)488 135 453
Email: jessica.walsh at adelaide.edu.au<mailto:jessica.walsh at adelaide.edu.au>
Twitter: @DrJessicaWalsh

ALLY Network Member: http://ua.edu.au/allynetwork
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