Arid Australia Field Class (GEOG30033)

Understanding past landscapes and environmental change is important for contextualising current and future climate changes. This subject will enable students to develop a profound understanding of Quaternary environments and environmental change through field and lab‐based learning in the Australian arid zone. Students will learn a range of key palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatological field and laboratory techniques.

The subject consists of a 10‐day field trip into the dry heart of the continent along a transect across a diverse range of Australian landscapes and ecosystems. The fieldtrip takes place in semester break with pre‐departure information sessions and practical classes following the field trip.

The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of (i) past and present environments along the southern margin of the Australian outback, (ii) the links between long‐term climate change, landscapes, and humans over various Quaternary timescales. In addition, (iii) the subject aims to develop the students’ skills in a wide range of field and lab‐based methods to characterize and reconstruct past landscapes, environments and climates. This will be achieved via practical and project‐based field sessions and sampling carried out in small groups, and will be followed by laboratory‐based analysis and the production of a field research report that targets specific topics.

The field trip is conducted under the supervision of the subject coordinator(s). Students are responsible for the cost of airfares, internal travel, accommodation and food.

Note this subject may be taken as the capstone subject for the Geography major in the BA and the BSc.