Professor James Shulmeister

Prof Shulmeister
Prof Shulmeister

Position

Professor and Head of School

Contact

Room:  35-411
Phone:  334-67010
E-mail:  james.shulmeister@uq.edu.au
Google scholar site
Research Student position available. See our Vacancies page for details.

Qualifications

  • BA (Mod) Dublinensis  1984
  • MSc Queen’s, Canada  1986
  • PhD Australian National University 1991

Professional Associations

  • Vice-President of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Paleoclimate Commission (2011-2015)
  • Editorial Board member, Quaternary Science Reviews
  • Member of the Australian Academy of Science, National Committee for Geography
  • Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland  

Background

Jamie Shulmeister joined the University of Queensland in July 2009 from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (on staff 2001-2009). He was previously at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (1994-2001) and before that was a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California (1993-1994) and a post-doc at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (1991-1993).

 Research Interests

Jamie Shulmeister’s main research theme is on the paleoclimatology of the Western Pacific Basin. He has worked extensively in Northern Australia, New Zealand, Timor and in the Antarctic on the Late Quaternary climate history of these areas.   The work focuses on reconstructing changes in regional circulation patterns notably the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies and the Australian Monsoon. His interest particularly lies in longer duration oscillatory systems, especially the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation and in abrupt climate events including the Southern Hemisphere manifestation of the Younger Dryas (if any) and the Antarctic Cold Reversal.

Professor Shulmeister uses biological proxy techniques (pollen, phytoliths, chironomids and beetles) along with sedimentology, geochronology (SED, luminescence) and geomorphology to investigate these systems. He has ongoing projects in eastern South Island New Zealand (including with Kath Dickinson, University of Otago, NZ) and is involved in paleoecology projects in Timor (with Mark Quigley, University of Canterbury, New Zealand), New England Tablelands of eastern Australia (with Craig Woodward, UQ) and elsewhere in eastern Australia.

Professor Shulmeister also has several active projects in glacial geomorphology, chronology and sedimentology. His current work focuses on the Canterbury and Westland regions of the South Island, New Zealand. Recent foci have included the effect of rock avalanches on glaciers (with Tim Davies, University of Canterbury, New Zealand) and developing a better understanding of NZ glacial sedimentary systems (with Dave Evans, University of Durham, UK and Glenn Thackray, Idaho State University, USA).  He is involved in a new project comparing glaciations in New Zealand with the Pacific North-West of the USA and has also worked with sedimentology, morphodynamics and Late Quaternary histories of coastal systems focussing on gravel beach systems and coastal dunefields. He is expecting to initiate work on dune fields and coastal evolution in SE Queensland.

Research Staff and Students

Dr Craig Woodward - Post-Doctoral Fellow

Principal Supervision of PhD and MPhil candidates:
Associate Supervision of PhD and MPhil candidates:

At University of Canterbury, NZ

Kurt Joy (PhD)

Active Collaborations: P. Augustinus (Auckland); T. Barrows (Exeter); M. Bird (JCU); D. Clark (Western Washington); T. Cohen (Wollongong); T. Davies (Canterbury); K. Dickinson (Otago); D.J.A. Evans (Durham); D. Fink (ANSTO); K. Fitzsimmons (Max Plank-Leipzig); O. Hyatt (unaffiliated); J. Kemp (Newcastle); K. Kiernan (Tasmania); P. Moss (UQ); D. Nobes (Canterbury); M. Quigley (Canterbury); T. Rittenour (Utah State); H. Rother (Griefswald); G. Thackray (Idaho State); S. Winkler (Canterbury); C. Woodward (UQ).

Selected Publications

Evans, D.J.A., Rother, H., Hyatt, O.M. and J. Shulmeister 2013. The glacial sedimentology and geomorphic evolution of an outwash head/moraine-dammed lake, South Island, New Zealand. Sedimentary Geology 284/285:45-75.
 
Nguyen, N., Duffy, B., Shulmeister, J. and M. Quigley. Accepted.  Rapid Pliocene uplift of Timor.  Geology
 
Hyatt, O.M., Shulmeister, J., Evans, D.J.A., Thackray, G.D. and U. Rieser. 2012. Sedimentology of a debris-rich, perhumid valley glacier margin in the Rakaia Valley, South Island, New Zealand.  Journal of Quaternary Science
 
Reznichenko, N., Davies, T.R., Shulmeister, J. and S. Winkler. Accepted. Influence of rock avalanches upon the formation of moraines and their subsequent palaeoclimatic interpretation: a critical appraisal. Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie.
 
Reznichenko, N., Davies, T.R., Shulmeister, J. and Larsen, S.  2012. A new technique for recognizing rock avalanche sourced deposits in moraines and some palaeoclimatic implications. Geology 40:319-322.
 
Woodward, C., Chang, J.,  Zawadzki, A., Shulmeister, J.,  Haworth, R., Collecut, S., and Jacobsen, G.  2011.  Evidence against early (pre 1840) major European induced environmental impacts by illegal settlers in the New England Tablelands, south eastern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews 30:3743-3747.
 
Alexander, D.J.,  Shulmeister, J. and Davies, T.R. 2011.  High basal melting rates within high precipitation, temperate glaciers. Journal of Glaciology 57: 789-795.

Hyatt, O.M and Shulmeister, J. accepted. Chapter 14.9 Methods in Geomorphology| Mapping Glacial Features. Encyclopedia of Geomorphology. Elsevier.

Alexander, D.J., Davies, T.R. and J. Shulmeister. 2011. A steady-state mass balance model for the response of Franz Josef glacier to climate change and debris cover Geografiska Annaler Series A.93 (1), 41-54.
 
Evans, D.J.A., Shulmeister, J and Hyatt, O.M. 2010. Sedimentology of latero-frontal moraines and fans on the west coast of South Island, New Zealand. Quaternary Science Reviews 29: 3790-3811.
 
Storey, B.C, Fink, D., Hood, D., Joy, K., Shulmeister, J., Riger-Kusk, Mand M. I. Stevens. 2010.  Cosmogenic nuclide exposure age constraints on the glacial history and biogeography of the Lake Wellman area, Darwin Mountains, Antarctica. Journal of Antarctic Science 22:603-618.

Shulmeister, J., Fink, D. Hyatt, O.M., Thackray, G.D. and H. Rother. 2010. Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of moraines in the Rakaia Valley, New Zealand and the nature of the last termination in New Zealand glacial systems.  Earth and Planetary Science Letters 297:558-566.

Shulmeister, J., Thackray, G.D., Rieser, U, Hyatt, O.M, Rother, H., C.C. Smart, and D.J.A. Evans2010. The stratigraphy, timing and climatic implications of pre-LGM glaciolacustrine deposits in the middle Rakaia Valley, South Island, New Zealand. Quaternary Science Reviews 29:2362-2381.

Shulmeister, J. Davies, T.R., Reznichenko, N., Alexander, D.J. 2010. Comment on “Glacial Advance and stagnation caused by rock avalanches” by Vacco, D., Alley, R.B. and Pollard, D.  Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 297:700-701.

Reznichenko, N., Davies, T.R., Shulmeister, J. and McSaveney, M. 2010. Effects of debris on surface melting rates on glaciers: an experimental study.  Journal of Glaciology 56:384-394.

Rother, H.,  Shulmeister, J. and Reiser, U. 2010. Stratigraphy, optical age chronology (IRSL) and depositional model of pre-LGM glacial deposits in the Hope Valley, Southern Alps, New Zealand Quaternary Science Reviews 29:576-592.

Pugh, J.M. and Shulmeister, J. 2010. Holocene vegetation history of a high elevation (1200m) site in the Lake Heron Basin, inland Canterbury, New Zealand. In Simon G. Haberle, Janelle Stevenson & Matthew Prebble (editors), Altered Ecologies: Fire, Climate and Human Influence on Terrestrial Landscapes,  Terra Australis 32. ANU E-Press, Canberra, The Australian National University. in press.

Thackray, G.D., Shulmeister, J. and D. Fink. 2009. Evidence for expanded Middle and Late Pleistocene glacier extent in northwest Nelson, New Zealand, Geomorphic signals and climatic implications. Geografiska Annaler, Series A. 91:291-311.

Williams, M., Cook, E., van der Kaars, S., Barrows, T., Shulmeister, J. and Kershaw, P. 2009. Glacial and deglacial patterns in Australia and surrounding regions from 35000 to 10000 years ago reconstructed from terrestrial and near-shore proxy data. Quaternary Science Reviews doi:10,1016/j.quascirev.2009.04.020

Shulmeister, J., Davies, T.R., Evans, D.J.A., Hyatt, O.M., Tovar, D.S. 2009. Catastrophic landslides, glacier behaviour and moraine formation- a view from an active plate margin. Quaternary Science Reviews 28:1085-1096.

Brook, M.S., Shulmeister, J., Crow, T.V.H., Zondervan, A. 2008. First cosmogenic 10Be constraints on LGM glaciation on New Zealand’s North Island: Park Valley, Tararua Range. Journal of Quaternary Science doi: 10.1002/jqs.1188

Tovar, D.S., Shulmeister, J. and Davies, T.R. 2008. Evidence for a landslide origin of New Zealand’s Waiho Loop Moraine. Nature Geosciences 1:524-526.

Leschen, R.A.B., T. R. Buckley, H. Harman, and J. Shulmeister. 2008. The Nothofagus Gap in New Zealand: Evidence from Fungus Beetle Genetics.  Molecular Ecology and Systematics. 17:1256-1276. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2007.03630.x

Hyatt, O.M., Shulmeister, J, and Smart, C.C.  2007. A reconnaissance study of glaciation on the Owen Massif, Northwest Nelson, New Zealand. Quaternary Australasia 24:11-18.

Burge, P.I. and Shulmeister, J. 2007. Re-envisioning the structure of New Zealand vegetation during the last glaciation using beetle fossils. Quaternary Research 68: 121-132.

Alloway, B.V., D.J. Lowe, D.J.A. Barrell, R.M. Newnham, P.C. Almond, P.C. Augustinus, N.A.N. Bertler, L. Carter, N.J. Litchfield, M.S. McGlone, J. Shulmeister, M.J. Vandergoes, P.W. Williams & NZ-INTIMATE members, 2007: Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ-INTIMATE project). Journal of Quaternary Science 22(1): 9-35 DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1079

Woodward, C.A and Shulmeister, J.  2007. Chironomid-based reconstructions of summer air temperature from lake deposits in Lyndon Stream, New Zealand spanning the MIS 3/2 transition. Quaternary Science Reviews 27:142-154.

Almond,  P.C., Shanhun, F.L., Rieser, U., and J. Shulmeister. 2007. An OSL, radiocarbon and tephra isochron-based chronology for Birdlings Flat loess at Ahuriri Quarry, Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand. Quaternary Geochronology. 2:4-8.

Rother, H. Jol, H.M. and J. Shulmeister.  2007. Tectonic and climatic implications of Late Pleistocene valley fill in the lower Hope Valley, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand. in: Baker, G.S., Jol, H.M., (Ed.) Stratigraphic analyses using ground penetrating radar (GPR), Geological Society of America Special Paper 432 : 155-167, doi: 10.1130/2007.2432(11).

Burge, P.I. and Shulmeister, J. 2007. An OIS 5a to OIS 4 (or early OIS 3) Environmental and climatic reconstruction from the Northwest, South Island, New Zealand, using beetle fossils. Journal of Quaternary Science  22:501-516.

Woodward, C. and J. Shulmeister.  2006. New Zealand chironomids as proxies for human-induced and natural environmental change: Transfer functions for temperature and lake productivity (chlorophyll a).  J. Paleolimnology. 36:407-429. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9009-6

Shulmeister, J.,  Rodbell, D.T., Gagan, M. and G. O. Seltzer. 2006. Inter-hemispheric linkages in climate change: Paleo-perspectives for future climate change  in  "Paleoclimate, Environmental Sustainability and Our Future" Guest editors: Julie Brigham-Grette, Thorsten Kiefer, Pinxian Wang, and  Heinz Wanner.  Climate of the Past 2:167-185.

Marra, M.J., Shulmeister, J. and E.C.G. Smith. 2006. Reconstructing temperature during the Last Glacial Maximum from Lyndon Stream, South Island, New Zealand using beetle fossils and maximum likelihood envelopes. Quaternary Science Reviews 25:1841-1849.

Rother, H. and J. Shulmeister. 2006. Synoptic climate change as a driver of late Quaternary  glaciations in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Climate of the Past 2:11-19. 1814-9359/cpd/2005-1-1.

Shulmeister, J., Fink, D. and Augustinus, P.C.   2005. A cosmogenic nuclide chronology of the last glacial transition in North-West Nelson, New Zealand -  new insights in Southern Hemisphere climate forcing  during the last deglaciation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 233:455-466.

Currently Funded Projects

  • The last glaciation maximum climate conundrum and environmental responses of the Australian continent to altered climate states. ARC Discovery Project AUS $360,000 Lead CI (with T. Cohen (Wollongong); K. Kiernan (Tasmania); C. Woodward (UQ); T. Barrows (Exeter); D. Clark (Western Washington); K. Fitzsimmons (Max Plank-Leipzig); J. Kemp (Newcastle).
  • Did Indonesian tectonic uplift change ocean circulation and global climate 3-4 Million years ago? NZ Marsden PI Mark Quigley University of Canterbury)
  • NSF Collaborative Research grant: $US 385,000 ‘Interhemispheric linkages of Late Pleistocene climate change’ Associate Investigator (with G. Thackray (Idaho State) and T. Rittenour (Utah State))
  • Paleoecological research into O Tu Wharekai, Ashburton basin wetlands and lakes. Department of Conservation New Zealand. J.Shulmeister & M.Schallenberg (Otago) and P. Moss 2008-2010, NZ$24,350 and AUS$27,840 AINSE Grant on ‘Ecological and limnological history of the Ashburton Lakes region, South Island, New Zealand’
  • Basal melting on New Zealand glaciers. Brian Mason Technical and Scientific Trust (Principal investigator with D. Alexander (UQ) and T. Davies (Canterbury).
  • Paleoclimate records from high altitude bogs and lakes in northern New England AINSE (with C. Woodward UQ)
  • Changes in the Australian Monsoon Project.  UQ internal funding - Chief Investigator (with C.Woodward and P. Moss (UQ) and M.Bird (JCU) and others TBA).
  • A 210Pb and 14C dated chironomid and stable isotope record of human impact and environmental change from Little Llangothlin, north-eastern New South Wales. AINSE Associate Investigator – C. Woodward lead CI 

I am looking for graduate students to work on

  • Paleoecology and paleoclimate projects in Northern Tablelands of NSW based on lake and bog cores

  • Paleoclimate projects focussed on Monsoon histories in Northern Australia and Timor based on pollen and other proxies

  • Glacial geomorphology, geochronology and sedimentology in New Zealand and Tasmania

  • Paleoecology projects in New Zealand

Contact me at James.shulmeister@uq.edu.au if interested

Prizes and Awards

2005 Hochstetter Lecturer of the Geological Society of New Zealand. Invited lecture series delivered to 8 separate branches of the Geological Society. This is a major award of the GSNZ.

Research Staff and Students

At University of Queensland

Teaching Responsibilities

  • Coordinator Geos 1100

Kevin

Collecting cores for monsoon histories, Jabiru Lagoon, Northern Territory, Australia July 2012 (K.Welsh, UQ - School of Earth Sciences, doing the hard yakka)

Olympic Peninsula

Coastal outcrop on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State, USA in September 2011.  (glacial sedimentology fieldwork with G. Thackray (Idaho State) and T. Rittenour (Utah State).

 

The hazards of working in the tropics – Cuha River, East Timor – June 2010

Glacial sedimentology field area – Rangitata Valley, South Island, NZ – Jan 2010

 

Last updated: Mar 5, 2013

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