Climate change and human activity are affecting vital soil resources and river systems worldwide. For the first time, we are able to quantify past changes in erosion and link them to past variations in climate and human activity. Using novel isotope geochemistry techniques, we will study sedimentary records in Australia in order to (i) quantify how erosion has responded to climate change over the past 100,000 yrs; and (ii) investigate the impact of early human colonisation on the Australian landscape. This will provide a better understanding of how soil and water resources adapt to climate variability and unprecedented insights on the impact of early humans on the Australian environment.
Climate change and human activity are affecting vital soil resources and river systems worldwide. For the first time, we are able to quantify past changes in erosion and link them to past variations in climate and human activity. Using novel isotope geochemistry techniques, we will study sedimentary records in Australia in order to (i) quantify how erosion has responded to climate change over the past 100,000 yrs; and (ii) investigate the impact of early human colonisation on the Australian landscape. This will provide a better understanding of how soil and water resources adapt to climate variability and unprecedented insights on the impact of early humans on the Australian environment.