Trace Element Chemistry of the Oceans Reveals New Theory onMass Extinction Events

Presentation by Ross Large – School of Earth Sciences – University of Tasmania
The Royal Society Room TMAG 19 Davey St Hobart
Tuesday, 5th November 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.00 pm

Abstract

The causes of mass extinctions of marine life remain a matter of debate. It has been suggested that changes in the composition of seawater may be a cause, especially oxygen and H2S content, and that concentrations of certain trace elements are a key to bio-productivity and evolutionary change in the ocean. In this talk we present data on temporal variations in the concentrations of trace elements in early-formed sedimentary pyrite from marine black shales, and interpret trends in ocean chemistry over the last 3.5 billion years. Our results show that trace element variations over the last 700 million years of ocean history have been strongly cyclical. We interpret these cycles to indicate that the Late Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic oceans went through dramatic changes in mean oxygen content. Four major cycles are recognised: Late Cryogenian to Late Ordovician, Early Silurian to late Devonian, Early Carboniferous to Late Triassic and Jurassic to Quaternary. Oxygen maxima, indicated by Se, U and Moproxies, occur at 540, 390, 310 and 0 Ma, supporting Bernerʼs previous models. Oxygen minima, indicated by trace element drawdown, occur at 700, 455, 365 and 200 Ma. Extended periods of trace element drawdown in the oceans have led to extreme deficiency of some elements that are critical for life. The periods of
extreme Se depletion coincide with the mass extinction events at end Ordovician, Late Devonian and the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, suggesting that Se-deficiency in the oceans may be a contributing cause of marine mass extinctions.

Biography

Professor Ross Large is the Director of CODES. He received his BSc (Hons) from UTAS in 1969, and PhD from University of New England in 1974 under the supervision of Richard Stanton. For 13 years Ross worked in mineral exploration for Geopeko Ltd., exploring for IOCG, VHMS and carbonate replacement deposits. In 1983 he left the mineral exploration industry to accept a lecturing position at the University of Tasmania. In 1989 Ross established CODES’ jointly funded by the Australian Research Council, UTAS, the mining industry and the State Government. CODES has since become recognised as one of the top ore deposit research centres in the world.
Ross received the Lindgren Award from the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) in 1983, the Presidents’ Award from the AusIMM in 1989, was the SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 1998, was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1999, was awarded the Haddon King Medal in 2005 by the Australian Academy of Science and in 2011 he was awarded the UTAS Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding contribution in the field of ore research. Ross was president of the SEG in 2004.

Post Graduate night

Presentation by three speakers
The Royal Society Room TMAG 19 Davey St Hobart
Tuesday, 1st October 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.30 pm

• (Ms) Jo McEvoy (Zoology) :  A lizards got personality??

  Abstract
  Behaviour mediates all aspects of an individual’s life and can act as the link between ecology and evolution. Increasingly, consistent intra-individual differences in behaviour (animal personality) have become a focus of attention in behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology. However, few studies have considered both the causes, and consequences, of personality within a single, free-living, population. My PhD examined personality in Egernia whitii, a social Tasmanian lizard species, and considered both the potential proximate underpinnings (causes) and ecological outcomes (consequences) of personality in this species. I focus on the personality trait of aggression, and will present to the Society an overview of my PhD, and attempt to ask the question, why are Egernia so angry?
  Biography 
  I have recently completed my PhD in the School of Zoology at UTas, supervised by Erik Wapstra, Geoff While and Sue Jones. During the course of my studies I have been lucky enough to have worked on a variety of species, including squirrels in Canada and small rodents in Indonesia, as well as Tasmanian species including the velvet furred rat, dusky antechinus, Tassie devils, snow skinks, and my PhD species, White’s skink. My particular interest is personality in non-human animals, and how personality differences within a population influence ecological dynamics, but I am broadly interested in animal behaviour and behavioural ecology.

• Ryan Nai (Chemistry): new methods for determining the diversity of microbial communities

  Abstract
  An important challenge in microbial ecology is the quantification of species richness and evenness in diversity studies, as well as the degree of metabolic involvement of taxa in functional studies. Existing molecular biological based methodologies can only be partially addressed the first aspect. This poses a dilemma whereby to date there is no one single characterisation method that can provide species diversity, abundance and degree of metabolic activity simultaneously. Combined methodological approaches to derive information on species diversity, abundance and function may be expensive, complex, time consuming and not widely accessible. Hence, acquiring a simple, cost effective and ‘single method’ approach to achieve this is an ongoing challenge in microbial ecology. This presentation will provide an overview and highlights of the strategies carried out in my PhD research aimed to address the methodological challenges facing microbial ecology, which involves the development of two new microbial community characterisation methods.
  Biography
  After finishing my high school in Malaysia, I attended UTAS for my tertiary education in 2003.  I graduated with B.Biotech Hons in Chemistry in 2006, then I spent 1 year at the University of New South Wales (Centre for Marine Bioinnovation), and another 1.5 years back in UTAS as a research assistant before commencing my PhD candidature in 2009. I submitted my thesis recently and I am expecting to receive my doctorate degree later this year. Currently I am a postdoctoral research fellow in Pfizer Analytical Research Centre, School of Chemistry, UTAS.

• Dr Jacqueline Fox (History & Classics) :

  From criminalisation to negotiation: colonial interactions with Aboriginal people during the Black War

  Abstract
  During the Black War (c. 1823-1830), settler-colonists in Van Diemen’s Land responded to frontier collision with Indigenous people in a variety of ways. Official responses drew on a repertoire of strategies deployed throughout the British colonial world, and ranged from the criminalisation of Aboriginal resistance, to attempts at spatial separation and, ultimately, negotiation. This paper traces these shifting responses through key phases of the Black War.
  Biography
  Jacqueline Fox is an historian whose research interests focus on the social, cultural and legal dimensions of British settler colonialism in the early nineteenth century. Her PhD thesis (UTAS, 2012) proposed a revisionist judicial biography of Chief Justice Pedder of Van Diemen’s Land. Dr Fox is currently attached to UTAS’s School of Humanities as a University Associate and Research Assistant.

Presentation by Tony Hope
The Royal Society Room TMAG 19 Davey St Hobart
Tuesday, 3rd September 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.00 pm

ANTHONY (TONY) HOPE

FAusIMM CP Geo , MAIME, FSEG                      

Summary Resume

 Tony is a Mining Industry professional with 50 years’ experience. He graduated from The University of Sydney majoring in geology and gained experience in technical and managerial roles in mineral exploration activities, project and mine feasibility studies in Australia and overseas. He is a Fellow of the AusIMM and a past Chairman of the Central Queensland branch and Chairman of the Australian Business Group in the Philippines. He is also a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers and fellow of the Society of Exploration Geochemists. In 2012 he was asked to present at the China/ASEAN Mining Conference held in China.

In 2006 he published A Quarry Speaks now in its second edition and in 2011 he published The Hope Factor which provides histories of discoveries of various mines in Australia, PNG and the Philippines.

He currently works part time for GHD out of Hobart, including playing an active role in developing China and Tasmania business and cultural relationships through his company HoJi Pty Ltd.

Summary Kennedy and Sons

During the nineteenth century, a number of settlers migrated to Tasmania where a strong demand for goods, services and equipment saw the proliferation of foundry works, shipyards, timber mills, flour mills, packing sheds, railways and mines including quarries.

In 1860, Robert Kennedy a ship’s carpenter, emigrated from Scotland and established a firm of ship builders and ship smiths in Melbourne.  R. Kennedy and Sons moved to Hobart in 1884 and acquired the Derwent Ironworks and Engineering Company in Salamanca Place, together with the Ross patent Slip and Shipyard at Battery Point and advertised themselves as ‘Shipbuilders, Engineers, Boilermakers, Blacksmiths, Iron and Brass Founders’ including the manufactures of steam machines, boilers and mining machinery.

In the early 1830s, convict chain gangs were put to work to quarry the toe of Battery Point to reclaim land for a new wharf and to build a row of merchant warehouses one of which was later purchased by R. Kennedy and Sons. At the close of World War II, Robert Kennedy’s grandson, John Kennedy, took over the Salamanca quarry site and ran its operations until the end of the quarry’s life in 1949.

Today the quarry site is home to residential apartments, government and commercial offices, shops, restaurants and an underground car park.

Summary of the talk

talk summary the kennedy family 2013 – Copy

Behind the scenes at TMAG

Presentation by Bill Bleathman
The Royal Society Room TMAG 19 Davey St Hobart
Tuesday, 6th August 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.00 pm

Please note. All places for this lecture are now filled.  Admittance will be restricted to registered guests only.

Sir Joseph Banks

Presentation by Mickey Benefiel
The Royal Society Room TMAG 19 Davey St Hobart
Tuesday, 2nd July 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.00 pm

About the Speaker

My personal interest in Joseph Banks is a result of my hobby which is Maritime History. I do not have a background in botany but did study marine biology in the 1960’s. As there were very poor prospects for the life sciences at the time, my career moved into computer related businesses. I have been an enthusiastic amateur historian since childhood, and a sailor of “Other Peoples” yachts for over 50 years. I am currently President of the University of the Third Age Clarence (U3A).

Brief Abstract of the Talk

Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820), naturalist, explorer, patron of science, was President of the Royal Society for 41 years. When the Royal Society persuaded the Admiralty to send James Cook in command of an expedition to observe the transit of Venus, it urged that ‘Joseph Banks … a Gentleman of large fortune … well versed in natural history’ should be permitted to join the expedition ‘with his Suite’. Banks joined the ship with a staff of eight. Only four of this party survived the voyage. This presentation covers Banks early years of development, adventure and exploration. And what a life it was!

Subtidalhabitats and inhabitants of the Tamar Estuary

Presentation by Mr David Maynard
QVMAG – Inveresk
Sunday, 23rd June 2013    Commencing 2.00 pm until
This lecture is presented with the generous support of QVMAG

About the Speaker

David Maynard has been Curator of Natural Sciences at the Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery since 2012. His research interest is temperate marine biodiversity. Prior to this he lectured for 13 years on fisheries and marine environment related topics at the Australian Maritime College. David has a passion for cataloguing fish and marine invertebrates and does so through underwater photography. In 2010 David co-authored an exhibition and book Beneath the Tamar More Than Silt with AMC colleague Dr Troy Gaston.

Brief Abstract of the Talk

The Tamar River estuary is unique in many ways. It is Australia’s longest navigable waterway, receiving freshwater from nearly 1/5th of Tasmania’s landmass. This freshwater meets an estimated 300,000,000 cubic metres of salt water entering the system twice a day on the incoming tides. The estuary, Tamar Valley and the broader catchment supports diverse activities including heavy industry, shipping, agriculture and forestry, wineries, aquaculture, tourism, and population centres and includes significant protected areas, reserves and wetlands. All these contribute significant economic and social benefits to our region. However the Tamar River estuary has some image problems. Many in the community only recognise the estuary for the unsightly mud flats exposed in the upper reaches which impact on the aesthetics and amenity of the river. Below the surface of the Tamar is another world. This lecture presents a visual snapshot of the habitats and inhabitants that reside just below the Tamar’s surface waters that remain invisible to the broader community.

Presentation by Vaughan Latimer
The Royal Society Room
Tuesday, 4th June 2013    Commencing 8.00 pm until  9.00 pm

About the Speaker

Vaughan Latimer has achieved: Certificate in Electrical Engineering (Power),Certificate in Electrical Power Protection Systems, BSc (Hobart) in mathematics and computer Science, BSc (Hobart) with Honours (Mathematics), Holder of a current Pilots Licence since 1971 (PPL), From 1979 to 1992, I worked with the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania, primarily in the Protection and Test role. This involved commissioning the electrical protection in major substations and switch yards. (Reece Power Station and Farrell switchyard were the major items in commissioning. I moved into market outage management with Transend Networks and eventually with Hydro Tasmania. This role was to optimise scheduled (and unscheduled ) outages to maximise the dollar return to Hydro Tasmania. In 2003, I commenced working (concurrently) for the Cloud Seeding Group in Hydro Tasmania. This occupied about 12 % of my time and was chiefly involved in being placed on a roster to participate in the aerial based cloud-seeding program. In May 20th 2011, I took early retirement from Hydro Tasmania, but continued to work part time (April to October, 20 ~ 30 hours per month) in the Hydro Tasmania Cloud seeding program. In 2013, returned to the University of Tasmania to continue post graduate studies in physics, with an aim of progressing in atmospheric physics.

Brief Abstract of the Talk

The presentation will provide a brief outline of the history of cloud seeding as well as a non-technical discussion of the processes involved. This will touch on aspects of atmospheric physics and the chemistry of cloud seeding agents. The speaker will then discuss Hydro Tasmania’s role in cloud seeding as well as the Snowy Hydro’s exhaustive program. The methodology of the two authorities will then be detailed. The executive summary of the Snowy Mountain’s study and evaluation will be discussed. A brief discussion on world cloud seeding programs will then close the session.