Helen Bostock

My research focuses on oceanography and paleoceanography of the oceans around Australia. I use stable isotopes (oxygen, carbon), geochemical tracers, sedimentology and microfossils to understand the present and past changes in ocean chemistry to reconstruct ocean circulation (changes in ocean currents and fronts) and its relationship to global climate. I am particularly interested in understanding past changes in the Great Barrier Reef, and at the other extreme past changes in processe at the Antarctic Margin. I am also interested in mapping marine sediment distribution, sediment transport processes, marine geomorphology, marine microplastic pollution, and multidisciplinary topics such as ocean acidification (the uptake of CO2 by the oceans) and blue carbon and climate change in the oceans (marine heat waves, sea level rise). I have participated in a number of research voyages on open ocean vessels including the RV Tangaroa and RV Investigator, including several as lead or co-lead scientist. I am involved in the Australian-New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program. Prior to joining the University of Queensland in July 2019 I previously worked in government research institutes including Geoscience Australia (2004-2006) and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand (2006-2019; now renamed as Earth Sciences New Zealand). Chemical oceanography, Earth Sciences, Oceanography. Past changes in the Southern Ocean; Geological history of the Great Barrier Reef; The carbon cycle in the ocean and ocean acidification; Sedimentary processes in the ocean.

[2026] New Insights Into Hikurangi Subduction Inputs and Megathrust Host Rocks Spanning Along‐Margin Changes in Fault Slip Behavior. Barnes, Philip M., Crutchley, Gareth J., Crundwell, Martin P., Henrys, Stuart A., Gase, Andrew, Davidson, Sam R., Bangs, Nathan, Van Avendonk, Harm, Underwood, Michael, Shorrock, Anthony E., McDonald, Laura S., Strachan, Lorna J. and Bostock, Helen C. (2026). Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 27 (6) e2025GC012734, 6. doi: 10.1029/2025gc012734 [2026] Strengthened glacial biological pump revealed by 230Th-normalized biogenic flux in the northern South China sea. Duan, Zhifei, Li, Chao, Bostock, Helen, Liu, Yanguang, Zhao, Jian-xin, Luo, Yiming, Wu, Yonghua, Nguyen, Ai and Yang, Shouye (2026). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 683 119976, 1-13. doi: 10.10