What can the past tell us about our future? Much of what we know of the deeper past comes from the remains of microscopic organisms and sediment properties found in depositional settings around the world. In Australia and the Asia-Pacific region there is a rich body of evidence for past changes in climate and biodiversity that is only just beginning to be explored. The course combines in-class learning, annd a 7 day fieldtrip to the Wet Tropics of northeast Queensland, with ‘hands-on’ experience in field collection and analysis of a range of palaeo-environmental indicators including pollen, charcoal, seeds, biogenic silica, and stable isotopes. This will provide students with a deeper understanding and the practical skills to engage in palaeoecology, archaeological science, palaeoclimatology, and natural resource management research.

7 day fieldwork component costs: $900 + return airfare from Canberra to Cairns

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Describe the natural and anthropogenic drivers of past environmental change at a global as well as regional level.
2. Describe and explain the techniques that are used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in Australia and abroad.
3. Analyse and reconstruct past environmental conditions using appropriate field and laboratory techniques.
4. Interpret palaeo-environmental data from a range of sedimentary contexts.
5. Reflect on the natural and human influences that explain past environmental conditions and be able to communicate these in ways appropriate to a range of audiences.

• One week lectures and small group discussions at ANU culminating in an exam.
• Two weeks based in the Wet Tropics of northern Australia (JCU Cairns-Atherton-Chillagoe region), including lectures, field data collection and laboratory analysis culminating in a 1 day mini-conference for posters with supporting oral presentation.
• Contact hours for course can be broken down as follows.
  Lectures = 24hr
  Small group discussion = 20hr
  Laboratory work =18hr
  Fieldwork = 4.5 days

Pre-requisite: Second year undergraduate or above and completion of first year units in one or more of Environmental Science, Conservation Biology, Archaeology, Natural Resource Management, Geography, and Anthropology.

Incompatible with ARCH6022

Must have a keen interest and a willingness to engage in fieldwork and laboratory analysis (using microscopes).

RecommendedReading/Resources

• Tuniz, C., Gillespie, R. and Jones, C. 2009. The Bone Readers: Atoms, genes and the politics of Australia's deep past. Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
• Steffen, Will et al. 2009. Australia's biodiversity and climate change. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.
• Williams, M. A. J., Dunkerley, D.L., DeDeckker. P., Kershaw, A.P. and Chappell J. M. A. 1998. Quaternary Environments. 2nd ed. London, Edward Arnold.
• Battarbee, R. and Binney, H.A. Editors. 2008. Natural Climate Variability and Global Warming: A Holocene Perspective. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.
• Elias, S. Editor. 2007. Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science. London, Wiley. (Available online though ANU)