School of Earth Sciences

An analysis of the words and actions of past and present US Presidents confirms Donald Trump’s hostility to science, and suggests it may hurt him politically

A rapid rise in global temperatures would lead to more extremes, whereas a more gradual and stabilised rate of climate change would decrease the temperatures we would experience.

Iron-rich rocks deposited by ancient glaciers tell a tale of evolving complex life forms, taking refuge in an oasis of oxygenated seawater

Melbourne’s weather is renowned for its variability, but it is still predictable, explained partly by its position on a large hot continent close to the cold Southern Ocean

A giant, continent-sized cloud that dumps rain from Broome to Hobart has increased in frequency over the past 33 years, but its impact may not be what you expect.

A rock that is the source of most of the world’s diamond deposits is giving us insights into the Earth’s formation

Allowing degraded natural forests to re-grow is a more effective, immediate and low-cost method for removing and storing atmospheric carbon than planting new trees

The speed of global warming has never been as fast as it is today, and is affecting the whole planet at the same time, for the first time in at least two millennia

The mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos, which is giving archaeologists clues to an ancient civilisation, has just joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage protected sites

The results of an international research project including researchers from the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and ANSTO in Australia, and international collaborators in Canada and France, is published this month in Quaternary International. The team innovated by applying marine geology methods for the first time at a port archaeological site in Italy. McKenzie Fellow Agathe Lisé-Pronovost from the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne led this project with geoarchaeologist Jean-Philippe Goiran from CNRS (France).

For several millennia during the Last Interglacial period, temperatures were higher than pre-industrial levels and that had an impact on our climate system. But with recent dire forecasts of global warming, what can the past tell us about the future of our climate?

Professors Kerry Landman, David Balding and David Karoly are among six new fellows elected from the University of Melbourne

Jin-Sol Lee is a University of Melbourne student who ventured on the CAPSTAN Voyage. Read his blog about conducting soil samples and the daily life of a sedimentologist.

Kimberley is a PhD student in the School of Earth Sciences. Read about her research in atmospheric rivers and her goals for future study.

After studying the physics of fluid flow in his honours year, Ewan resolved to study atmospheric science at a graduate level. Read about his research and experiences as a graduate student.

Maddie Brown in a University of Melbourne student currently on the RV Investigator for the CAPSTAN Voyage 2. Read her blog about the experience.

Software with a commercial value of more than £1.308m (AUD$2.4m) has been given to the University of Melbourne, School of Earth Sciences, by engineering firm Petroleum Experts.

Fieldwork was completed on April 16-25 th 2018 at Darwin Crater, a 1.2 km diameter and 800,000-year-old meteorite impact crater in western Tasmania. The drilling team included two drillers, two PhD students, and two scientists from the University of Melbourne (Dr Michael Fletcher and Dr Agathe Lisé-Pronovost).

On 14 February 2018 Professor David Karoly gave a talk to friends and colleagues about his ten year tenure as Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Melbourne.