Project information
ROBINSON, Prof. Sharon
University of Wollongong
Wilkes Land Coast, Australia (or home country), Casey, Clark Peninsula ASPA, Davis, NE Bailey Peninsula ASPA, Vestfold Hills
Project aim
We will use mosses to investigate the changing climate in Antarctica and the implications this has for terrestrial biodiversity. Mosses grow incrementally from the tip, thus shoot sections contain a record of atmospheric carbon corresponding to each growing season, in a similar fashion to tree rings. This method has been used to age East Antarctic mosses and indicates that some individuals are more than 60 years old. Analysing stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in cell walls tells us how climate has changed around these mosses over time and allows us to determine which sites are drying and becoming inhospitable.
Related publications
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Rapid change in East Antarctic terrestrial vegetation in response to regional drying Nature Climate Change, 2018
(Ref: 16010)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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Not just about sunburn – profound, indirect effects of the ozone hole on Southern hemisphere climate and ecosystems Global Change Biology, 2015
(Ref: 15697)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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Sophistication in Simplicity Professor Sharon Robinson web site, 2015
(Ref: 15715)
Authors:Category 4: Popular articles
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Stable isotopes reveal past polar environments PhD Thesis, University of Wollongong, Australia, 2014
(Ref: 15599)
Authors:Category 3: Thesis, higher degree
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Antarctic climate change and the environment: an update. Polar Record, 2014
(Ref: 15014)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature