ANTARCTIC RESEARCH CENTRE Annual Review 2018 - Victoria University of Wellington
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ANTARCTIC RESEARCH CENTRE Annual Review 2018
6 $3.7 23
Nature
group
125,000 papers
published by ARC staff;
3 in Nature, 2 in Nature million
presentations
years ago
given to politicians,
Communications and 1 in stakeholders, schools and
Nature Climate Change. GNS Science sub-contract for the
MBIE-funded Past Antarctic Climates community groups by ARC
parts of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet staff and students.
(PAC) programme has ended after
melted contributing to
eight years, with numerous research
6-9 metre higher sea levels than
outcomes.
today, according to a Nature paper
10
co-authored by Rob McKay.
three
2 new out of
17 years
Andrew Mackintosh
staff
welcomed to the ARC family,
Stefan Jendersie and Richard Levy.
Rutherford Foundation
New Zealand Postdoctoral Fellowships,
awarded to Bella Duncan, Holly Winton,
and Oliver Wigmore,
$960K
will be based in the ARC.
has worked for Victoria
University, as he says
goodbye as ARC Director. Marsden
Fund
$49
awarded to Rob McKay to
improve knowledge of the
magnitude of ice sheet-ocean
million
3
interactions.
over 7 years of Government IPCC Lead
investment in a Strategic Science
Investment Fund (SSIF) platform
Authors
32
for Antarctic science, directed by
Nick Golledge was selected for
Nancy Bertler.
Chapter 9 ‘Ocean, cryosphere,
and sea level change’ in the
publications current assessment. He joins the
with ARC authorship ranks with Andrew Mackintosh
and Tim Naish.
3 theses
Beryllium10 submitted by ARC
supervised students,
work led by Shaun Eaves opens the door one PhD and two MSc.
for cosmogenic nuclide applications
45 51
in volcanic rocks, as well as quartz. media
interviews
2 degrees
By obtaining accurate estimates of
cosmogenic nuclide production rates we
can help quantify rates of past ice sheet given by ARC staff on
change. years Antarctic and climate
related issues.
after the first drill cores were taken in the
of global warming is sufficient
Ross Sea, Rob McKay and the team on
to trigger long-term melting and
board IODP Expedition 374, retrieved the
ongoing sea-level rise from both the
longest-ever drill ship piston core from the
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets
Southern Ocean.
according to research published by
Nick Golledge in
Nature Climate Change.
Contents director’s discussion on the future of Antarctica at the
POLAR18 meeting in Davos, Switzerland,
inspiring female speakers in Antarctic
science right now. I received a great list of
I start my new position as Head of
the School of Earth, Atmosphere and
summary
hosted by Nature magazine. We were suggestions, and in 2018 invited Professor Environment at Monash University in
2 Director’s Summary particularly effective at engaging with Dorthe Dahl-Jensen (Niels Bohr Institute) Australia on 1 May, and it is with mixed
present and former New Zealand and as the first of this group. I hope that this list feelings that I prepare to move to
5 Our Research Approach international political leaders. In June, provides some useful suggestions to the
next ARC Director.
Melbourne. I’m excited about new research
and the opportunity to lead a significant
As I prepare to leave Wellington after 17 Rob McKay briefed the European Union
7 Research Outcomes years at Victoria University, surrounded
by half-packed boxes, I reflect on what
Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on
innovations in Antarctic geological drilling Another of my goals as ARC Director was to
academic department, particularly one
with strength in both the atmospheric and
earth sciences. However, I will miss working
19 Science Drilling Office we have achieved in the ARC not only
in the last year but also since I arrived
and international Antarctic and geoscience
collaboration at the request of Trade and
ensure that we had the correct team to lead
our major projects and to answer the most in the ARC, the School of Geography,
in Wellington in 2002. Back then, the Export Growth Minister Hon. David Parker. pressing questions in Antarctic science. In Environment and Earth Sciences, and in
21 Teaching & Supervision Antarctic Research Centre (ARC) was In July, I hosted a visit by former Prime 2018, we made two new appointments, Wellington with its access to government
internationally renowned for Antarctic Minister and head of the United Nations Richard Levy from GNS Science and Stefan agencies and Crown Research Institutes. I
23 Significant Events drilling and ice sheet history, a legacy Development Programme, Rt. Hon. Helen Jendersie from NIWA as part of the MBIE- will never forget the support that I received
that we continue to build on today. In Clark. And in November, Nick Golledge, funded NZ SeaRise programme. Stefan, from previous ARC Directors Peter and
33 Financial Summary subsequent years and particularly during Nancy Bertler and James Renwick (SGEES) appointed as a fixed-term Research Fellow, Tim, and my rewarding collaborations with
Tim Naish’s reign as ARC Director, our hosted a visit by Minister for Climate is a very talented - and I’m sure he will colleagues and students that became
39 Engagement & Outreach staff and student numbers, range of
expertise, and external funding portfolio
Change, Hon. James Shaw and Luke Gaskin
(MFAT).
appreciate me saying this - young ocean
modeller, who has helped to fill a significant
friendships - we have achieved a lot
together. Michelle, I’ll even miss working on
43 Publications & Conferences expanded greatly. I was therefore lucky
to be appointed as Director of a thriving, Another key development in 2018 was
gap; numerical modelling of ocean
circulation at regional scale, including
this annual review together! I look forward
to continuing my relationship with the ARC
internationally renowned research centre the appointment of Nancy Bertler to the under ice shelves. This is critical expertise as an Adjunct Professor, and I wish the ARC
48 Our People in April, 2017. position of Director of the Antarctic Science because most of the heat reaching the and its new Director every success in the
Platform. This required Nancy to step Antarctic continent leading to ice sheet future.
As freshly minted ARC Director, I had a aside from her own substantive ice core mass loss is being delivered via the ocean.
few immediate goals. It was clear that programme (see research outcome on the Future projections of the Antarctic ice
we were performing very well in terms of RICE project) to oversee the development sheet will remain somewhat limited in
research outputs, and I was motivated to of this multimillion dollar national science their quality until we better represent the
see whether we could do more in terms platform, funded by MBIE and hosted by physical processes linking the oceans to
of engagement with policy makers and Antarctica New Zealand. Nancy brings a the ice. We appointed Richard Levy, a long-
funding agencies. I also wanted to use ~20 year record of international scholarship term ARC collaborator, Antarctic geologist
my position to encourage and develop and research leadership to this role, and and paleoclimate expert, on a permanent
the careers of our younger researchers, I’m delighted for her and very proud that 0.2 FTE position to lead the NZ SeaRise
including addressing the staff gender one of our staff was chosen to lead this programme. Richard also brings significant
balance in our Centre. With this latter critical venture. Additionally, I am pleased strategic leadership and outreach/
goal in mind, a major achievement in that Huw Horgan and Richard Levy were engagement expertise to the ARC.
2018 was securing three new Rutherford chosen as co-investigators of the science
Postdoctoral Fellowships, with two of programme. Each year without fail in the ARC we
these awarded to female scientists. publish world-class publications and bring
Remarkably, only ten such fellowships One area where I was looking for change in in significant research funding. In 2018
were awarded in New Zealand overall, 2018 was the S.T. Lee Lecture in Antarctic Rob McKay led the way with a $960,000
which is a testament not only to the high Studies, where only one out of fifteen of Marsden grant which he will use to better
quality of the applicants but also to the our previous speakers had been a female understand the role of ocean heat in ice
draw of our Centre. As I write, our own scientist. All of our previous speakers sheet loss over geological timescales. Rob
Bella Duncan, as well as Oliver Wigmore have been outstanding (and I chose one also co-authored a Nature paper which
from the University of Colorado Boulder, of the male speakers), but this imbalance demonstrated that the East Antarctic Ice
USA, have just started. Holly Winton from needed to be addressed. We have also had Sheet lost significant mass during late
the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, a preference for inviting very senior and Quaternary interglacial warm periods. Tim
UK, will join us later in 2019. distinguished scientists, whereas I thought Naish and Nick Golledge also published a
Professor Andrew Mackintosh
there might also be role for inviting high- Nature paper on reconstructing the long-
Director, Antarctic Research Centre
We’ve had a terrific year of engagement, profile early to mid-career researchers. For term history of the Antarctic ice sheet using
with 23 presentations to government several years, Tim Naish has been trying cosmogenic isotopes preserved in legacy
and other influential stakeholders. Nick to persuade Valerie Masson Delmotte, material from ANDRILL cores, and Tim co-
Golledge joined myself and Tim Naish co-chair of IPCC Working Group, to deliver authored a third Nature paper on the future
as the third member of ARC staff to an S.T. Lee lecture, but unfortunately her of Antarctica, authored by recipients of the
be nominated as an IPCC Lead Author, schedule has so far been too busy. So prestigious Tinker/Muse Prize for Science
and Tim Naish participated in a panel I asked our staff to nominate the most and Policy in Antarctica.
Photo: Michelle Dow
3
our
research
Our mission is to improve understanding of
Antarctic climate and ice sheet processes
approach
and their impact on New Zealand and the Rationale research is informing the International
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
We are rapidly heading towards a Improved understanding of climate
Earth system climate that is 2-4oC warmer than
present. Ice sheets and oceans take
change impacts including sea-level rise
impacts in the southwest Pacific region
centuries to millennia to fully adjust to provide tangible benefits to all New
climate forcing, and the fundamental Zealanders. Our research is leveraged
changes that we are observing by very strong national and international
today may be irreversible on human collaborations and partnerships, and
timescales. In order to provide reliable, world-leading in-house polar drilling
policy-relevant projections of future technology provided by the Science
climate and sea level, scientists are Drilling Office. We are funded and
increasingly relying on computer supported through a range of MBIE,
models. Our Centre has undergone a Marsden, and Rutherford programmes,
numerical revolution, and around half Antarctica New Zealand and private
of our staff now routinely carry out donations.
physics-based computer simulations of
past, present and future climate. In summary, our approach involves:
We develop confidence in future climate a. Improving our physical understanding
projections if models show skill at and observation of modern climate,
simulating present and past climate. ocean, glacier and ice sheet systems.
Because direct climate and ice sheet
The Antarctic Research Centre (ARC) is a centre of research excellence observations span the last century at b. Acquiring past observations of
best, reconstructions of past climate surface temperature, precipitation,
within the Faculty of Science at Victoria University of Wellington, atmospheric composition (greenhouse
conditions provide the only means to
and reports directly to the Dean of Science. gases and aerosols), ice sheet, glacier,
assess climate and ice sheet models on
their relevant timescales. Furthermore, and sea-ice variability, and oceanic
It is co-located with the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, past climate observations provide conditions from terrestrial, marine,
with which it shares academic staff, facilities and contributes to both undergraduate and graduate insight into the long term “endgame” lacustrine and ice core archives.
teaching and supervision. (equilibrium response), that we will
commit our planet to this century based c. Developing and improving numerical
Our research provides exciting opportunities and challenges for young researchers, a sound basis for on current warming scenarios. Past models of climate-ocean-glacier and
international climate change assessment and will help build a more resilient New Zealand. climate records also provide insight into ice sheet systems, by advancing
the rates and magnitudes of climate the physics, and then carrying out
and ice sheet changes that may be sound evaluation of models against
possible in the near future, and allow modern observations and past climate
the fingerprint of human influences to reconstructions.
be identified in the context of natural
variability in the climate system. d. Using our models to improve future
climate simulations, and projections
of glacier and ice sheet contribution
Outcome-based research to sea-level rise, river flows and other
changes in the Earth System.
Our research approach is policy-relevant
and outcome focused. We aim to e. We disseminate our research
improve forecasts of future climate findings through publications in the
change including their global and New world’s leading scientific journals, and
Zealand impacts, for the benefit of through education, communication and
humanity. By reducing the uncertainties outreach to the public, practitioners and
around future climate and sea-level policy makers.
Photo: Dan Zwartz
rise predictions, our cutting-edge
ARC Annual Review 2018 5
research
outcomes
Photo: Cliff Atkins
ARC Annual Review 2018 7
Choosing their future
In cities around the world, that led to greater melt of the Antarctic ice ‘Low-emissions economy’ and stressed the
hundreds of thousands of sheet, a reduction of summer sea ice, and urgency for ‘immediate action’. So, it seems
children are protesting. an acceleration of global sea-level rise. that both the science and the necessary
Lack of proper regulation led to increased response are clear. But the question our
human presence in Antarctica as well as children pose still stands - since we know
Inspired by a Swedish teenager, these increased fishing, leading to much greater this, why aren’t we doing more?
children are trying - very successfully - to environmental degradation. Under a low
draw attention to climate change. But more emissions scenario the outlook was much CONTACT: Nick.Golledge@vuw.ac.nz
importantly, these future voters are voicing better, but not completely without impacts.
their dissatisfaction and frustration with the Sea ice only reduced slightly from present- • Greta Thunberg’s address
current state of global climate policy. They day levels and melting of ice shelves https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-
see a future world that is very different from was similarly reduced compared to the media/videos/speech-greta-thunberg-
climate-activist
what it would be without greenhouse gas high emissions scenario. The ice sheet
emissions from human activities. They want contribution to sea-level rise was much • IPCC
to change the path that we are currently lower, and ecosystem impacts were much https://www.ipcc.ch/
on and choose their own future - one less serious.
that keeps greenhouse warming below 2 • MfE Zero Carbon Bill Icebergs off the East Antarctic Ice Sheet - Photo: Rob McKay
degrees. Their figurehead, Greta Thunberg, This study drew on published research to https://www.mfe.govt.nz/have-your-say-
told the audience at the recent European present two alternatives for the future, zero-carbon
Economic and Social Committee in Brussels essentially asking the reader to ‘choose’
to, ‘unite behind the science’, a deliberate which world we would rather live in. But it • :vivideconomics report on Net Zero in New
criticism of the fact that governments highlighted that we are already committed Zealand
around the world have failed to act on to ongoing changes, even with aggressive
http://www.vivideconomics.com/
publications/net-zero-in-new-zealand
Moderate levels of warming
what international scientific guidance
has been warning since the first report of
mitigation. These long-term commitments,
in both the Antarctic and Greenland ice • NZ Productivity Commission ‘Low-
puts the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) in 1990.
sheets, were the subject of a second high-
profile paper in Nature Climate Change
emissions economy’ Final Report at risk
https://www.productivity.govt.nz/inquiry-
(Pattyn, et al., 2018), that included ARC content/3254?stage=4
The science we undertake in the ARC researcher and IPCC Lead Author Nick New Nature article suggests In 2018, a paper published in Nature retreated significantly inland relative to
contributes significantly to IPCC reports Golledge. This paper reviewed geological the world’s largest ice sheet, (Wilson et al., 2018), and led by today, and was therefore a contributor to
through the journal articles we write, the and numerical modelling studies in an the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, collaborators at Imperial College of Last Interglacial sea levels.
international collaborations we build, and attempt to define the points at which London, found that the East Antarctic
may have been a significant
our direct representation in the authorship ongoing loss of the two ice sheets becomes Ice Sheet was reduced in extent during If all of the ice that sits below sea level
contributor to sea-level rise this time of elevated sea level, as well today were to melt, East Antarctica could
of these assessments. In 2018, Tim Naish, inevitable. The analysis found that both ice
former Director of the ARC and past IPCC sheets have surprisingly low tolerances for
despite it being considered as during other “moderately warmer- contribute up to 19 metres of sea-level
Lead Author, contributed to a high-profile environmental change, and that an average the least vulnerable. than-present” climates over the past rise. Although these results indicate
publication in the journal Nature (Rintoul, global warming of only two degrees is 400,000 years. This suggests that some that only a fraction of this ice melted,
et al., 2018) that posed the exact same sufficient to trigger long-term melting and Coral reef studies suggest that global of the ice that remained on Earth after it demonstrates that a modest but
question those school-children are asking ongoing sea-level rise. In Greenland this sea levels were 6-9 metres higher the end of the last ice age (~20,000 sustained warming of just 1-2 degrees
today - what happens if greenhouse gas arises from feedbacks with the atmosphere, than today during the Last Interglacial years ago), including that in East is enough to cause the ice sheet in East
emissions remain unchecked? Looking whereas in Antarctica the ongoing melt is Period 125,000 years ago. However, Antarctica, may already be primed for Antarctica to retreat from some of its
back to the present from 2070, Tim and his driven by ocean warming. global climate during this period was renewed melting. low-lying areas.
colleagues used the best available science only 1-2oC warmer than preindustrial,
to predict what changes would have Both studies show that urgent and much The ARC’s Rob McKay contributed CONTACT: Robert.McKay@vuw.ac.nz
and although ice sheet melt is implied
occurred in Antarctica and the Southern more ambitious mitigation efforts are for sea-level rise of this magnitude, it to this study by identifying sediment
Ocean. Focusing on two different scenarios, essential for slowing the pace at which ice has long puzzled scientists which ice layers related to elevated levels of
the authors first imagined what Antarctica sheet melt and long-term environmental sheets contributed to this rise. There iceberg discharge associated with loss
and the Southern Ocean might look like if change take place. In New Zealand our is evidence that Greenland remained of ice in East Antarctica. These layers
greenhouse gases kept increasing the way current government are proposing a partially glaciated at this time, and were compared with geochemical
they are now. In the second, they explore an mechanism to ensure a ‘just transition’ to West Antarctica does not hold enough “fingerprinting” techniques, led by David
alternative world in which strong mitigation a low-carbon economy – the Zero Carbon vulnerable ice to contribute to this event Wilson and Tina van de Flierdt (Imperial
took place, and the worst climate change Bill – underpinned by a British-based alone. This raises the possibility that College of London). The geochemical
impacts were avoided. economic analysis from :vivideconomics the world’s largest ice sheet, the East fingerprints of the sediment were
that aims to, ‘help illuminate long-term Antarctic Ice Sheet, was a significant consistent with erosion of rocks that
The findings were alarming. In the low-emission pathways’. In August 2018, contributor despite it being considered now lie far beneath the East Antarctic
unmitigated world, rising global the New Zealand Productivity Commission the least vulnerable to moderate levels Ice Sheet. These combined lines of
temperatures changed ocean currents and published their final report to government of warming. evidence showed that the ice sheet had
atmospheric circulation patterns in ways outlining the transformations required for a
ARC Annual Review 2018 9
Cosmic signals of past ice sheet behaviour
Since inception of the state- In the journal Quaternary Geochronology, during these past collapse events. This
of-the-art Victoria University ARC Lecturer Shaun Eaves led a multi- new work (Shakun et al., 2018), published
from bubbles to
of Wellington Cosmogenic author paper (Eaves et al., 2018) that in the leading scientific journal, Nature,
global temperatures
Laboratory in 2013, ARC presents new estimates of the production showed that quartz sand, eroded from the
rate of cosmogenic 10Be in pyroxene. This continent and transported to the Ross Sea
research driven by Andrew
work is significant for two main reasons. by East Antarctic outlet glaciers, contains Ice cores record significant and
Mackintosh and Kevin Norton First, routine chemical techniques for 10Be almost no cosmogenic 10Be. This result
has maximised the opportunities abrupt past climate changes
extraction currently only exist for quartz. is significant because it implies that the
this capability offers to Therefore this new work opens the door portion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that
associated with large and
interrogate past ice sheet for cosmogenic nuclide applications in supplies sediment to the Andrill-1B site has rapid changes in atmospheric
behaviour in Antarctica. volcanic rocks, such as the Ferrar Dolerite. remained in place, effectively shielding the greenhouse gases, such as
Second, accurate estimates of cosmogenic continent from cosmic radiation, for the methane.
Cosmogenic nuclides are rare isotopes nuclide production rates are required last 8 million years. Long-term stability of PhD student Katelyn Johnson with NZ Ice Core Facility Manager, Rebecca Pyne - Photo: VUW
(e.g. 10Be, 26Al, 3He) produced continuously to convert concentrations into exposure land-based ice, points the finger at marine- While our current estimates of past
in minerals situated at Earth’s surface by durations, and thus quantify rates of past based sectors capable of rising sea level climates have vastly improved with ice
cosmic radiation emitted from supanovae. ice sheet change. Building on previous ARC by ~22 metres during past warmer-than- core data, large uncertainties remain in
Accumulation of these isotopes over time research at Mackay Glacier (Jones et al., present times, such as the Pliocene, east and west antarctica our understanding of the relationships
can be harnessed as a useful geological
clock: the longer a host rock sits at Earth’s
2015. Nature Communications 6 no.8910),
Shaun and the team demonstrated the
3-5 million years ago.
at loggerheads between greenhouse gases extracted
from the bubbles and local temperatures
surface exposed to cosmic radiation, the utility of this new technique by presenting With in-house laboratory capability and extracted from the surrounding ice. We
greater the cosmogenic nuclide content. a complementary chronology of ice surface a long tradition of successful sediment The Roosevelt Island Climate accumulation, one of only three such have developed a new method to obtain
This technique is particularly powerful lowering at this East Antarctic outlet glacier recovery from terrestrial and marine Evolution (RICE) project, a NZ- records from Antarctica extending past a more accurate gas signal that is less
in glacial environments where flowing since the Last Glacial Maximum. archives around the Antarctic margin, the last millennium. The RICE records attenuated and increases the time
ice quarries rocks from depth, ultimately the ARC is well placed to harness this
led, nine-nation collaboration
show that snow accumulation continued resolution of the gas measurements in
exposing them to cosmic radiation at ice In a separate study, led by Jeremy Shakun powerful cosmogenic toolbox to unlock
achieved some exciting and to increase until the 15th Century, when ice cores. Our first results show combined
margins. Applications in such settings offer (Boston College, USA) and co-authored by further mysteries concerning past ice significant milestones. it sharply started to decrease until measurements/experiments from the
the opportunity to directly quantify past the ARC’s Tim Naish and Nick Golledge, sheet dynamics. Future work will target modern times. This is curious as over RICE core and modelling to produce gas-
changes in ice sheet extent over timescales measurements of cosmogenic 10Be in the sensitive marine-based margins of Two age models for the past 2,700 the same time period, local temperature trapping functions, and gain information
of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of the Andrill-1B site revealed the long-term both East and West Antarctica, which are years and 83,000 years were finalised steadily increased, usually conducive to about how many bubbles were closed off
years. stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. thought to be most vulnerable to future and spliced. The 2,700 year age scale, an increase in moisture and thus snow at each considered depth.
The Andrill-1B core was recovered in ocean warming. developed under the lead of Mai Winstrup fall. This suggests a sensitive feedback
In 2018, ARC researchers published 2006 from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf (then University of Copenhagen), takes mechanism induced by large scale The research was presented at the SCAR/
two papers that encompass both and contains sedimentary evidence that CONTACT: Shaun.Eaves@vuw.ac.nz advantage of seasonally resolved changes in sea ice cover. Moreover, the IASC Polar2018 Conference in Davos,
the development and application of suggests multiple periods of reduced ice geochemical records and applies an RICE records show that the eastern Ross Switzerland, and submitted to the Journal
cosmogenic nuclide dating, which help sheet extent, relative to present, occurred independent uncertainty assessment Sea and West Antarctica experienced of Geophysical Research.
understand past ice sheet response to during Earth’s past warm intervals. using volcanic eruptions identified via opposing trends in temperature and snow
climate. However, outstanding questions concern geochemical peaks and one visible ash. accumulation over the past 2,700 years. CONTACT: Ruzica.Dadic@vuw.ac.nz
the precise configuration of Antarctic ice The 83,000 year age scale, developed During the Little Ice Age period, West
under the lead of James Lee (then Antarctica and the western Ross Sea
Oregon State University), takes advantage (adjacent East Antarctica) experienced
of the high resolution RICE methane data significant cooling, while the central Ross
Beacon sandstone, Antarctica - Photo: Richard Jones to correlate with the West Antarctic Ice Sea (in the vicinity of Roosevelt Island),
Sheet Divide (WDC) and the Greenland continued to warm. With an emerging
(NGRIP) ice core records. network of high resolution, well dated
ice core records, such regional patterns
The availability of these two age scales can now be detected and deciphered
enabled the RICE team to shift their focus providing important constraints for ice
on the interpretation of the environmental sheet models projecting future scenarios.
and glaciological information contained
in the core leading to the publication While the RICE team is now focusing on
of a RICE community paper in Climate the deglaciation, three ARC PhD students,
of the Past (Bertler, et al., 2018) with Katelyn Johnson, Lukas Eling and Abhijith
a focus on the past 2,700 years. The Ulayottil Venugopal have extended the
comparison of ice core proxies with geochemical records to encompass
climate data showed that the RICE the early Holocene and glacial periods.
records are highly sensitive to air The emerging records promise to reveal
temperature, changes in sea ice cover, many more surprises and to improve
sea surface temperature, atmospheric our understanding of the inner workings
circulation pattern and marine primary of the Ross Ice Shelf, and its future
productivity, providing a sensitive tool behaviour, helping to quantify future sea
for environmental reconstructions in this level contributions from Antarctica.
important region. The high resolution age
scale permitted the calculation of snow CONTACT: Nancy.Bertler@vuw.ac.nz
ARC Annual Review 2018 11
drilling mission captures a 20
million year record of
ocean-ice sheet interactions
In 2018, an international the climatic threshold was for the loss of
research team travelled to the the last land-based plants in Antarctica.
Ross Sea aboard the JOIDES ice sheets and sea
Resolution, as part of the Investigation of the chemistry and level in the pliocene
International Ocean Discovery fossil content in the cores, along side
Program (IODP) Expedition 374. modelling experiments, will also help
understand the implications of large Why ice sheets grow and decay
freshwater releases from the Antarctic and their role in setting global
The expedition was led by the ARC’s Rob ice sheet into the Southern Ocean. The sea level lies at the heart of our
McKay and Laura De Santis (Istituto most obvious impact is sea level, but a research interests.
Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica fresher ocean could lead to changes in
Sperimentale, Italy) and obtained five sea ice extent, nutrient delivery to marine
sediment cores up to 700 metres in plankton, and affect the way oceanic In 2018, we started to see the culmination
length. The sites formed a continental heat is transported from Antarctica to the of several year’s work on a section of
shelf to deep sea transect designed rest of the planet - as a large component Pliocene rocks deposited 3 million years Friis Hiils, Antarctica - Photo: Tim Naish
to understand past oceanic-ice sheet of ocean circulation near the edge of the ago in Whanganui Basin supported by Tim
interactions. The project was designed Antarctic Continent is driven by changes Naish’s Marsden grant and undertaken
to build on the results of the ANDRILL in the density of surface ocean waters. by Georgia Grant as her PhD topic and
project, drilled over a decade ago that presented at AGU in December. In 2018,
provided the first clear evidence that
the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) had
The expedition broke several long-
standing Antarctic drilling records: it
Georgia led a paper in Quaternary Science
Reviews outlining the detailed stratigraphy
Past Antarctic Climates programme legacy
collapsed numerous times over the past achieved the highest-ever recovery rate of two drill holes in the Turakina River
20 million years. The loss of this “marine (63%) and deepest drill hole (702 m) valley that also incorporates unpublished Since 2010, one of the ARC’s Stutz, and Ross Whitmore), and one response to climate change will inform
based” ice sheet is thought to be due to from a drill ship core on the Antarctic work from two other former ARC students underpinning research projects MSc student (Libby Galbraith). Some new work being conducted under the
oceanic warming melting the ice at its continental shelf, and retrieved the – Juliet Sefton and Molly Patterson. achievements of these early career MBIE-funded NZ SeaRise programme.
has been the MBIE-funded
marine margin, rather than “top down” longest-ever piston core (271 m) in the researchers include Jamey organising
melting by the atmosphere. Southern Ocean, giving the research These shallow marine sediments
Past Antarctic Climates (PAC) and chairing two workshops; one held at Over the eight years, numerous papers
team one of the most pristine geological contain systematic changes in species
programme. the Past Antarctic Ice Sheets Conference have been published in leading journals
While IODP Expedition 374 also sought records ever obtained of ice sheet of microscopic shells and grain size in 2017 and the other at the SCAR/IASC such as Nature, Nature Communications,
to identify additional periods of major variability and oceanographic change that point to rising and falling sea level The MBIE contract, held by GNS Polar2018 Conference, in 2018. Nature Geoscience, Geophysical
ice sheet loss, its primary goal was to offshore of Antarctic. between 2 and 3.3 million years ago. The Science (and led by Richard Levy), had Research Letters, and Earth and
identify what changes in the oceans Pliocene is a period of time when Earth’s a significant sub-contract to the ARC Examples of the achievements of the Planetary Science Letters. Results from
caused the WAIS to melt. Key questions New Zealand joined IODP in 2008 climate was warmer than present and worth $3.7 million over eight years. In programme include future projections PAC research on ice sheet response to
the scientists hope to answer are: how through the Australia and New Zealand Northern Hemisphere ice sheets were September 2018, this sub-contract came on what Antarctica may look like under past intervals of higher than present
warm did the oceans directly offshore IODP Consortium (ANZIC). ANZIC is small or non-existent. For that reason, to an end as MBIE established the new various warming scenarios, improved atmospheric CO2 concentrations were
of Antarctica get before loss of the funded by the Australian Research the frequency and magnitude of sea level Antarctic Science Platform. understanding of the causes and also included in an article published
marine-based ice sheets occurred; Council and other research organisations in that period is a guide to the behaviour consequences of 21st century ice sheet in the annual World Meteorological
and did shifting oceanic currents push and universities in Australia and New of Antarctic’s ice sheets in a warmer The approach of the PAC Programme has melt, and improved understanding of Organisation Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
warm waters, that currently exist further Zealand; including GNS Science, NIWA, world. More specifically, the evidence been to integrate geological data with ice sheet loss from the East Antarctic The bulletin received exceptionally high
north in the Southern Ocean, closer to Victoria University of Wellington, the suggests the part of Antarctica that is numerical models grounded in a robust Ice Sheet during past warm intervals. coverage in major news outlets and
the Antarctic ice sheets leading to their University of Otago and the University thought to be relatively stable today (the understanding of modern processes in Research conducted under the PAC in many languages. So, although this
retreat. It also anticipated the cores will of Auckland. The scientific drilling ship East Antarctic Ice Sheet) was actively order to reconstruct how Antarctica’s ice programme and its predecessor programme comes to end for the ARC its
answer fundamental questions about JOIDES Resolution is funded by the US expanding and contracting in the Pliocene. sheets responded during past “warmer- ANDRILL, are being integrated into research legacy will continue to shape
how, and when, the marine-based WAIS National Science Foundation. The frequency of these changes is also than-present” times, in order to provide guidance documents including the future research on the Antarctic.
first formed, as well as determining what important because they tell us something insights into future changes and their recently published NZ Ministry for the
CONTACT: Robert.McKay@vuw.ac.nz about what is driving this instability. Some global consequences. Environment – Coastal Hazards Strategy CONTACT: Tim.Naish@vuw.ac.nz
theories suggest direct melting (and and the Intergovernmental Panel on
freezing) of ice in response to changing The ARC team of researchers who worked Climate Change 6th assessment report.
Laura De Santis and Rob McKay on board the Joides Resolution - Photo: Rob McKay
incoming solar radiation (insolation; on the programme include Tim Naish, Knowledge of Ross Sea geology and
as described by Milankovitch theory), Peter Barrett, Lionel Carter, Gavin Dunbar, glacial history generated through the
whilst others highlight the importance of Nick Golledge, and Andrew Mackintosh. PAC programme were used to guide the
warmer oceans nibbling away at marine The team were also supported by Alex science objectives of other programmes
terminating glaciers and ice shelves (or Pyne and Darcy Mandeno from the such as the recently completed IODP
some combination thereof). We hope ARC’s Science Drilling Office. Within the Expedition 374 co-led by Rob McKay.
our conclusions on these topics will be ARC, PAC fully/partially funded three Furthermore, knowledge gained regarding
published soon! PhD students (Hannah Chorley, Jamey past, present, and future ice sheet
CONTACT: Gavin.Dunbar@vuw.ac.nz
ARC Annual Review 2018 13
launch of the Antarctic
Science platform
2018 saw the launch of the flow, and the retrieval of stratigraphic
Antarctic Science Platform, a records of past ice-sheet extent and
Strategic Science Investment environmental conditions.
Fund programme providing Antarctica New Zealand has been
dedicated funding from MBIE. contracted to host and implement the
platform. The ARC is involved at multiple
This exciting platform promises a new age levels, with Nancy Bertler seconded
of New Zealand led scientific exploration to the platform directorship, Nick Applying research
in the Antarctic. The broad goal of the Golledge leading a platform-wide Future to inform a changing
platform is to conduct excellent science Projections advisory panel, Tim Naish
to understand Antarctica’s impact on the
world
leading the Previous Climate Experiments
Earth system and how this might change objective of Project 1, and Huw Horgan
in a warming world. To accomplish this Co-Investigator alongside Richard Levy
the platform has established two central (PI) leading Project 1. Platform funding
The ARC provides advice on the
work programmes: (1) The Antarctic ice- for Project 1 begins 1 April 2019, with the environmental impact of fibre-
ocean-atmosphere system in a warming first field campaign of direct access at optic cables.
world, and (2) The Ross Sea region the grounding zone of Kamb Ice Stream
ecosystem dynamics in a warming world. in the 2019/2020 season. We all look Currently, the United Nations is walking
Each of these programmes consists forward to the bounty of science that this Electron microscope view of a diatom a tightrope between the use and
of two main projects, which broadly platform will enable. conservation of the marine environment
cover the most important aspects of as exists in international waters beyond
the cryosphere as identified by a series For more information visit: the legal boundaries of the Exclusive
of workshops and consultation. Project
1 addresses Antarctic Ice Dynamics:
http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/science/
antarctic-science-platform/ southern ocean Economic Zone and Legal Continental
Shelf. This zone, formally termed the
Past, Present, and Future and includes
an ambitious work plan of direct
sediments Area Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ),
occupies ~65% of the ocean. It is now
access beneath the West Antarctic Ice coming under increasing pressure as
Sheet. This will result in much-needed Increases in carbon dioxide to the surface, they ‘vent’ CO2 into the human activities, such as seabed mining,
observations of the controls on ice Cliff Atkins and Gavin Dunbar, Antarctica atmosphere, enhancing global warming expand from shore. In that context, the
Photo: Dan Zwartz ‘venting’ from the Southern
Ocean. and helping drive the termination of ARC provides advice to the submarine
the last ice age. Melanie found a strong cable industry. This group supplies the
relationship between biogenic silica fibre-optic cables that underpin ~95% of
In 2018, MSc student Melanie Liston production and the rate of increase in global Internet traffic.
(co-supervised by Gavin Dunbar and atmospheric CO2 during the past two
Helen Bostock, NIWA) completed glacial terminations south of the APF. Our advice provides a scientific basis
A busy year for the Organic This suggests the venting of CO2 out of
her study of two sediment cores to guide discussions regarding the
Geochemistry Laboratory from the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) the Southern Ocean was not a ‘one off’ environmental impact of laying and
region ~600S. Melanie found there process at the end of the last ice age maintaining fibre-optic cables in the ABNJ
Postdoctoral Fellow Bella and four summer research students utilise VUW Organic Geochemistry Laboratory, as are a systematic series of plankton but part of an ongoing series of events and elsewhere. Most recently a paper in
Duncan, together with Sebastian the laboratory to investigate projects as well as helping students to learn and apply productivity changes that recur that recurs with each Pleistocene Ocean Engineering by Christoph Kraus
Naeher at GNS Science, have diverse as the initiation of the Great Barrier biomarker techniques. during glacial terminations. Biological glacial termination. and Lionel Carter (2018) showed that
Reef, climate offshore Antarctica in the productivity of biogenic silica disturbance caused by burying fibre-optic
been developing the GNS/ Miocene and Pliocene, and New Zealand CONTACT: Bella.Duncan@vuw.ac.nz CONTACT: Gavin.Dunbar@vuw.ac.nz
(overwhelmingly diatoms) in particular cables beneath the seabed – a method
VUW Organic Geochemistry paleoenvironment over the last 14,000 is linked to upwelling of nutrients from to protect cables from benthic fishing
Laboratory. years. Among the compounds investigated deep in the Southern Ocean’s interior. – was temporary. Rates of physical and
are alkenones, which are used to Along with nutrient elements (including biological recovery ranged from days to
This facility enables us to extract molecular reconstruct past sea surface temperatures, silicon) comes carbon dioxide (CO2) decades, tending to take longer in deep
fossils known as biomarkers from samples and plant waxes such as n-alkanes and in various dissolved forms that has water where current action is limited. A
and identify and quantify the different fatty acids, which tell us about past accumulated from decaying organic companion study assessing the chemical
compounds present to investigate what vegetation, hydroclimate and carbon cycle matter. So high is the abundance of and physical durability of cables, revealed
they can tell us about past climates. Now changes. CO2 in the Southern Ocean’s depths them to be highly resilient. Most showed
that this facility is up and running it’s been that when these waters are brought little degradation even though they had
a busy year in the laboratory. In 2018, Bella received a Rutherford resided on the seabed for up to 45 years.
Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (see That study will be published in 2019.
Over 2018 we’ve had two ARC Masters page 25). This fellowship will enable her to
students, Rebecca Pretty and Nikita Turton, continue developing and utilising the GNS/ Next, is the effect of ocean/climate
change on the fibre-optic network. This
takes advantage of the ARC’s expertise
with respect to sea-level rise, storminess
and sediment density flows.
CONTACT: Lionel.Carter@vuw.ac.nz
ARC Annual Review 2018 15
Extending historic
glacier length
records using
cosmogenic exposure
dating
Retreating mountain glaciers
are prominent icons of present-
day climate change, due to their
acute sensitivity to changes in air
temperature.
Glacier forelands often contain rich Sea wall protecting the town of Granity, West Coast from sea-level rise - Photo: Tim Naish
geological evidence of former ice extents,
Brian Anderson undertaking a snowline survey - Photo: Dave Allen (NIWA) in the form of landforms such as moraines,
which document how glaciers have varied in
size over the past few centuries to millennia. NZ SeaRise Programme on the rise!
Glacier snowline Surveys: A new These archives offer the potential to extend
our understanding of how glaciers, and thus The New Zealand SeaRise rise. Namely, by improving estimates with local authority partners (Otago
approach and the end of an era climate, have changed over timescales that
exceed instrumental climate measurements.
programme, aims to produce of polar ice sheet melt and accounting
the significant influence of vertical land
Regional Council, Greater Wellington
Regional Council, Hawke Bay Regional
However, achieving precise dates for these
improved location specific movements around the New Zealand Council) and Iwi (Ngati Kahugnunu), to
without anthropogenic climate change? predictions of sea-level rise to
Since 2015, the ARC has young glacial landforms has, until recently,
2100 and beyond.
coastline. The latest estimates of polar understand the impact of the sea-level
taken part in the annual ‘end proved difficult. ice sheet and glacier melt, ocean thermal projections on coastal flooding and storm
The 2017/2018 summer may have expansion, land water storage, vertical surge recurrence, groundwater salination
of summer snowline survey’.
been a step change in the loss of New In recent work funded by the National Richard Levy took over leadership of land movements, ocean dynamics are and inundation, and coastal estuarine
This project was initiated Zealand’s glacier ice, but there is no Geographic/Waitt Program, we have applied the programme, from Tim Naish, when being combined within a probabilistic environments. Ultimately our projections
by Trevor Chinn way back in doubt about the heavy loss to the snow cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating he was appointed Associate Professor framework using international best- will strengthen national policy statements
1978, and has been run by and ice research community with the to produce precise dates for pre-historic (0.2 FTE) at the ARC in November practice methodology of our USA and hazards planning guidance
NIWA since the 1990s. death of Trevor Chinn in December moraines at Dart Glacier in the Southern 2018. Tim remains in a leadership collaborator, Bob Kopp (Rutgers documents (e.g. MfE, LGNZ, DOC), and
2018. Trevor’s persistence in the face Alps. This technique utilises concentrations role joining Rob Bell (NIWA) and Nick University). We hope to have a preliminary scientifically robust local projections will
ARC’s role, working with Drew Lorrey of adverse weather, retreating glaciers, of the rare isotope, 10Be, which builds Golledge as project leaders. We have set of projections for NZ tide gauges strengthen the statutory mandate for
(NIWA), has been two-fold: to upgrade and obstructive bureaucrats has left up in glacial sediments over time due to made significant progress towards for a range of future climate scenarios adaptation decision-making.
the information collected during the an incredible legacy of facts, figures, interaction with cosmic radiation. To date reducing global and local uncertainties by the end of 2019. As the science is
flights; and to re-process images taken and photos of New Zealand’s glaciers landforms deposited by Dart Glacier just that affect our ability to predict sea-level evolving, we are developing case studies CONTACT: Richard.Levy@vuw.ac.nz
since 1978 to extract more and higher that simply would not exist without a few centuries ago, we collaborated with
quality data from the existing historic his inquisitive and unique brand of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
archive. glaciology. in the USA, who have the capability in
accelerator mass spectrometry to resolve
Brewster Glacier, which the ARC has As an example, the original glacier such small 10Be concentrations. Our results lake ohau layering Unconformity possibily caused by
earthquake shaking ~3300 years ago
been measuring since 2004 with inventory, started in 1978, was almost show a prominent advance of Dart Glacier
colleagues from University of Otago, was lost when Trevor’s boss in the 1980s that culminated at the end of the 17th
the first target of this work. PhD student, informed him one Friday that he was century. This new data extends the relatively
Sediment layering reveals shown we can identify ‘mast’ years (years
Lauren Vargo, used new photogrammetry going to ‘delete the tapes on Monday’ rich observational record of Dart Glacier, frequency of environmental of greatly enhanced seed production) from
techniques and published a reanalysis even though, after years of work, which was first mapped in 1915, and events such as earthquakes, the abundance of pollen extracted from
of the snowline and terminus position the inventory of 3144 glaciers was provides a useful target for future numerical flooding and beech ‘masting’. the sediment. Abundant food from Beech
record of this glacier in 2017. essentially complete. Trevor paid one of modelling experiments in which we seek forest masting in particular leads to a huge
his colleagues to work all weekend to to determine the geological precedence of The ARC’s Gavin Dunbar and collegues growth in predator populations that turn
The record-setting heat of the print out the inventory. Sure enough the recent glacier retreat in the Southern Alps. continue to advance work on the detailed on native fauna as the supply of seeds run
2017/2018 summer, associated with tapes were deleted and the inventory stratigraphy of the Lake Ohau cores with out if they are not actively managed. The
a marine heat wave in the Tasman only lives on through that epic printing CONTACT: Shaun.Eaves@vuw.ac.nz recent publications in Scientific Drilling and long pollen timeseries available from Ohau
Sea, resulted in the highest snowlines session. Quaternary Science Reviews (Levy, et al., sediments includes periods of the past
ever recorded. More than half of the 2018 and Vandergoes, et al., 2018). Much both warmer and cooler than today and
measured glaciers had no snow cover Trevor’s approach has rubbed off effort has gone into a quantitive method to examining the frequency and magnitude of
left at all. This is a crisis point for a on many of the next generation of count the annual layers evident in the core masting events in the past will help us gain
glacier, because glaciers are replenished glaciologists, ensuring that his legacy x-rays (with assistance from Euan Smith, a better understanding of the climatic cues
solely by winter snow that survives the will live on. As Trevor said in one of his SGEES) and we now have a layer-counted that help trigger them. We also know that
summer melt. last interviews “glaciers don’t lie”. And stratigraphy for our lower sedimentation major flood events deposit anomalously
while this is true, he loved that glaciers site that extends back ~5000 years. The thick layers of fine sediment – up to
The marine heat wave, hot summer, could also confound common sense, record is interrupted by a disturbed interval three times the annual average and layer
and subsequent record high snowlines as Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o dated to 3300 years before present that counting enables us to identify these years.
received a lot of media attention in Hine Hukatere did in 2017/2018 by appears to correlate with the last known Long term trends (if any) in the frequency
2018. Behind the scenes Lauren and her advancing during the hottest summer on movement on the Ostler Fault that passes of these beech masting events and major
colleagues are extending the snowline record. south of the lake. floods is the current focus of our research,
photo analysis and working to answer now the ground work has been done.
the question - could this particular year’s https://niwa.co.nz/videos/glaciers-dont-lie Layer counting is important not only for
record loss of glacier ice have happened dating the core, but also for examining the CONTACT: Gavin.Dunbar@vuw.ac.nz
CONTACT: Brian.Anderson@vuw.ac.nz
stratigraphy in great detail. For example,
Joe Prebble and Xun Li (GNS Science) have
ARC Annual Review 2018 17science
drilling
office
The Science Drilling Office (SDO) A major aspect of our continuing Hot
is currently preparing for future Water Drilling programme has been the
programmes on the ice. unsatisfactory performance of the diesel
generators that support this operation.
In 2018, the SDO temporarily contracted
The SDO is hosted in the ARC and led by Jeff Rawson, who has previously worked
Alex Pyne SDO Director and ARC Projects with us for several Antarctic field seasons,
Manager, along with Darcy Mandeno to review options for field generator
as Operations and Field Engineer. SDO replacement in 2019. The issue is cold
activities in 2018 have not included temperature operations and use of aviation
a 2018-19 field season in Antarctica, kerosene replacing diesel fuel. Jeff found
which has been a welcome break, and replacement engine options, we secured
has allowed the team to start addressing CAPEX for 2019, and will be repowering
housekeeping issues that are becoming the generators with larger lower technology
increasingly problematic as we continue to Duetz engines better rated for kerosene
support equipment and logistics-heavy field based fuels.
activities in Antarctica.
In the second half of the year Alex started
Over the 2017/2018 summer our small working on the concept for a new “light
warehouse and workshop facility at the weight” drilling capability to access marine
Karori Campus was moved to new leased geological sea floor record beneath ice
premises in Lower Hutt. The relatively small shelves. The concept for this drilling
space capability is to complement and integrate
(133 m²) required several weeks of with our successful Hot Water Drilling
reorganisation but is now a compact and operations and be initially deployed as part
functional facility designed to enable us to of the Ross Ice Shelf project and Antarctic
better service and repair equipment in New Platform programme. We anticipate that
Zealand primarily in preparation for annual the CAPEX funding, design, procurement
Antarctic field activities. Our operational and manufacture to be carried out in
model still requires larger equipment to 2019 -2021 for first drilling in the 2021-22
be purchased and constructed out-of- Antarctic season.
house under our leadership in design and
innovation. CONTACT: Alex.Pyne@vuw.ac.nz
Darcy is developing a practical field-friendly
way to inventory and track our increasingly
complex range of field equipment that
at any time may be wintered in a remote
locations in Antarctica, stored at Scott
Base, in transit, or being stored and
serviced at the workshop.
Photo: www.neilsilverwood.com
ARC Annual Review 2018 19TEACHING &
SUPERVISION
Our staff support a wide range of teaching being carried
out within the School of Geography Environment and Earth
Sciences.
The ARC supports a significant proportion lectures in both undergraduate and
of the research being carried out in the graduate courses as well as supervision
paleoclimatology theme through teaching of graduate students enrolled with the
and graduate supervision. There is also a School of Geography, Environment and
close interaction between ARC staff and Earth Sciences (SGEES). In 2018, our staff
projects with other research programmes supervised 16 PhD and
in geophysics, geology, physical geography, 7 MSc students and contributed to the
and the environmental studies programme. following courses:
Our teaching contribution includes
Courses we taught in
ESCI 111 The Earth System: An Introduction
ESCI 132 Antarctica: Unfreezing the Continent
ESCI 201 Climate Change and New Zealand’s Future
ESCI 204 Petrology and Microscopy
GEOG 220 Hydrology and Climate
ESCI 241 Introductory Field Geology
ENSC 301 Topics in Environmental Science
ESCI 301* Global Change: Earth Processes and History
GEOG 321 Ice and Climate
GEOG 325 Field Methods
ESCI 403* Stratigraphy and Palaeoenvironments
ESCI 404* Topics in Earth Sciences
ESCI 412* Paleoclimatology
PHYG 414 Climate Change: Lessons from the Past
ESCI 580 Research Preparation
* An ARC staff member was the course co-ordinator
Graduate completions
Georgia Grant (PhD) Karsten Lorentz (MSc)
“Pliocene glacial-interglacial sea-level “Bedrock to soil: In-situ measurement and
change.” analytical techniques for initial weathering
Supervised by Tim Naish and Gavin Dunbar of proglacial environments.”
(ARC). Supervised by Kevin Norton (SGEES) and
Brian Anderson (ARC).
Melanie Liston (MSc)
“Glacial-interglacial productivity in the Polar
Frontal Zone, southwest Pacific Ocean.”
Supervised by Helen Bostock (NIWA) and
Gavin Dunbar (ARC).
Photo: Peter Barrett
ARC Annual Review 2018 21You can also read
