Seasonally driven regional variability in ocean acidification (seawater
pH) and global warming in the Indo-Pacific Oceans: pre-industrial versus
present-day
Supervisors
Research Affiliations
Degree Type/Name
Pre-requisites
Student Support
Collaboration
Professor Malcolm McCulloch and Dr. Jens Zinke
ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, UWA Oceans
Institute
Ph.D
Degree in Geology or Geophysics or other kinds Geoscience
degree
The successful applicant will receive a ~$27,000 per annum (tax
free) funded by ARC Laureate Fellowship.
This project is a collaboration with ARC Centre of Excellence and
UWA Oceans Institute
Skills
A strong chemistry background and good writing skills are essential for this position. Prior
experience with ICP-MS analysis, carbonate chemistry, coral physiology, and SCUBA is desirable.
Project Description
We seek students who will undertake studies of modern as well as long-lived corals from sites
spanning the Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the NW-Shelf of Western Australia. The studies will
utilise boron isotopes (pH) and geochemical proxies of sea surface temperature for selected periods
during the pre- and post industrial period. The project will assess present-day versus pre-industrial
variability in seasonal cycles with the aim of determining the long-term ‘natural’ thresholds that may
limit the ability of corals to continue to calcify in warmer more acidic oceans.
Recommended Reading
T. Friedrich et al, Detecting regional anthropogenic trends in ocean acidification against natural
variability. Nature Climate Change 2012, DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1372.
Trotter et al, Quantifying the pH ‘vital effect’ in the temperate zooxanthellate coral Cladocora
caespitosa: Validation of the boron seawater pH proxy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2011,
doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.01.030.
McCulloch et al, Coral resilience to ocean acidification and global warming through pH up-regulation.
Nature Climate Change 2012, DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1473.
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===Contact: Dr. Jens Zinke, jens.zinke@uwa.edu.au