The Climate Change Chronology (C3) lab is a collaborative effort between scientists at the Universities of Melbourne and Newcastle and was established in recognition of the fact that global climate change represents arguably the greatest challenge facing humanity today. Whatever the ultimate causes of current climate variability, our success in the prediction of the future relies heavily on a thorough understanding of how the planet and its ecosystems have responded in the past.

While we have for many years been actively involved in producing chronological constraints for palaeoclimate proxy records, the C3 lab infrastructure provides additional resources for this important work. Our aim is to continue to provide  very high resolution palaeoclimate records for a wide range of research projects but also to use our expertise and analytical infrastructure to produce innovative new approaches to palaeoclimate studies. Facilities available to researchers include sample preparation equipment (Melbourne and Newcastle), fluorescence and stable isotope analysis (Newcastle) and radiogenic isotope analysis, particularly U-Th, U-Pb, and Sr (Melbourne). Recent scientific contributions include:

Innovative approaches to palaeoclimate research:

Hellstrom, J., Paton, C., Woodhead, J and Hergt, J (2008) Iolite: software for spatially resolved LA-(quad and MC) ICPMS analysis. Mineralogical Association of Canada short course series 40 , 343-348.

Hellstrom, J. (2003) Rapid and accurate U/Th dating using parallel ion-counting multi-collector ICP-MS, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 18, 1346-1351.

Hellstrom, J. (2006). Uranium-thorium dating of speleothems with high initial thorium using stratigraphical constraint. Quaternary Geochronology 1, 289-295.

Woodhead, J.D., Hellstrom, J., Maas, R., Drysdale, R., Zanchetta, G., Devine, P and Taylor, E (2006) U-Pb geochronology of speloethems by MC-ICPMS. Quaternary Geochronology 1, 208-221.

Woodhead, J., Hellstrom, J., Hergt, J., Greig, A. & Maas, R (2007) Isotopic and elemental imaging of geological materials by laser ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma mass spectrometry. Journal of Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 31, 331-343.

Woodhead, J., Hellstrom, J., Paton, C., Hergt, J., Greig, A., and Maas, R (2008) A guide to depth profiling and imaging applications of ICPMS. Mineralogical Association of Canada short course series 40, 135-145.

Scientific results:

Desmarchelier, J. et al. Laser-ablation ICP-MS reveals strong annual trace element cyclicity in stalactite.  Chem Geol, in press.

Drysdale, R.N., Zanchetta, G., Hellstrom, J.C., Fallick, A.E., Zhao, J-x, Isola, I and Bruschi, G (2004) Palaeoclimatic implications of the growth history and stable isotope (d18O and d13C) geochemistry of a Middle to Late Pleistocene stalagmite from central-western Italy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 227, 215-229.

Drysdale, R., Zanchetta, G., Hellstrom, J., Fallick, A., and Zhao, J-x. (2005) Stalagmite evidence for the onset of the Last Interglacial in southern Europe at 129 ± 1 ka: Geophysical Research Letters 32, L24708, doi:10.1029/2005GL024658.

Drysdale, R.N. (2006)  High-resolution Holocene paleoclimate record shows drought events responsible for collapse of old-world civilizations. Geology 32, 101-104

Drysdale, R. N., Zanchetta, G., Hellstrom, J. C., Fallick, A. E., McDonald, J. and Cartwright, I. (2007). Stalagmite evidence for the precise timing of North Atlantic cold events during the early Last Glacial. Geology 35, 77–80.

Goodwin, I. D. and Hellstrom, J. C. (2007). Pro-glacial Aragonite Deposition, Meltwater Evolution and Glacial History During Isotope Stage 3 At Radok Lake, Amery Oasis, Northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica.  Antarctic Science, in press.

Piccini L., Zanchetta G., Drysdale R.N., Hellstrom J., Isola I., Fallick A.E., Leone G., Doveri M., Mussi M., Mantelli F., Molli G., Lotti L., Roncioni A., Regattieri E., Meccheri M. and Vaselli L. (2008). The environmental features of the Monte Corchia cave system (Apuan Alps, central Italy) and their effects on speleothems growth. International Journal of Speleology. 37, 153-172.

Prideaux, G.J., Long, J.A., Ayliffe, L.K., Hellstrom, J.C., Pillans, B., Boles, W.E., Hutchinson, M.N., Roberts, R.G., Cupper, M.L., Arnold, L.J., Devine, P.D. & Warburton, N.M. (2007) An arid-adapted middle Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from south-central Australia. Nature 445, 422-425.

Prideaux , G. J., Roberts, R. G., Megirian, D., Westaway, K. E., Hellstrom, J. C. and Olley, J. M. (2007). Mammalian responses to Pleistocene climate change in southeastern Australia. Geology 35, 33–36.

van Breukelen, M. R., Vonhof, H. B., Hellstrom, J. C., Wester, W. C. G. and Kroon, D. (2008). Fossil dripwater in stalagmites reveals Holocene temperature and rainfall variation in Amazonia. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 275, 54–60.

Zanchetta G., Drysdale R. N., Hellstrom J. C., Fallick A. E., Isola I., Gagan, M. and Pareschi M. T.(2007) Enhanced rainfall in the Western Mediterranean during deposition of Sapropel S1: stalagmite evidence from Corchia Cave (Central Italy).  Quaternary Science Reviews, in press.

Zhou, H., Chi, B., Lawrence, M., Zhao, J., Yan, J., Greig, A., and Feng, Y (2008) High-resolution and precisely dated record of weathering and hydrological dynamics recorded by manganese and rare-earth elements in a stalagmite from Central China. Quaternary Research 69, 438-446.

Contacts:

Jon Woodhead (jdwood@unimelb.edu.au), John Hellstrom (j.hellstrom@unimelb.edu.au), or Russell Drysdale (Russell.Drysdale@newcastle.edu.au)