News
ANZIC Annual Report now publicly available
The 2019 ANZIC Annual Report is now available for download and viewing. Read our leadership teams' overviews on ANZIC and IODP activities in 2019. Download and view the annual report here: 2019 ANZIC Annual Report.pdf.
Linda Armbrecht receives Edith Dornwell Medal for Early Career Research Excellence
Edith Dornwell was the first graduate, to complete the Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide in 1885 with first-class honours in physics and physiology. The award recognises research excellence, contribution, and broader contributions to the field by an early-career researcher, relative to opportunity. The 2020 Edith Dornwell Medal for Early Career Research Excellence was awarded by the UofA Faculty of Sciences Executive Dean Research to Dr Linda Armbrecht from the School of Biological Sciences.
IODP 2050 Science Framework now publicly available
ANZIC recently announced the release of the completed 2050 Science Framework, entitled Exploring Earth By Scientific Ocean Drilling. Endorsed by the IODP Forum, it is available for download at https://iodp.org/2050-science-framework.
Hybridisation capture allows DNA damage analysis of ancient marine eukaryotes
Read about our new study, in which we applied a hybridisation capture ‘baits’ technique to target marine eukaryote sedaDNA (specifically, phytoplankton, ‘Phytobaits1’; and harmful algal bloom taxa, ‘HABbaits1’), which resulted in up to 4- and 9-fold increases, respectively, in the relative abundance of eukaryotes compared to shotgun sequencing. We further used the new bioinformatic tool ‘HOPS’ to authenticate the sedaDNA component, establishing a new proxy to assess sedaDNA authenticity, the Ancient: Default (A:D) sequences ratio, here positively correlated with subseafloor depth, and generated the first-ever DNA damage profiles of a key phytoplankton, the ubiquitous coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi. Authors: Armbrecht L., Hallegraeff G, Bolch C. Woodward C, Cooper A. View the pre-print on bioRxiv.
Mini-review on the use of marine sedimentary ancient DNA in paleoceanography in special issue of 'Oceanography'
Armbrecht, L. 2020. The potential of sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to reconstruct past ocean ecosystems. Oceanography, published online. (Photo credit: Asaesja Young, CSIRO)
Click here to view: https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2020.211
ANZIC Legacy Funding - NOW OPEN
In 2020, ANZIC will provide a pool of up to AUD$200K worth of funding (and a separate pool of NZD$50K for New Zealand applicants), to be distributed to appropriate projects that can be completed by 15th November 2021. Applications should be proposed that seek analytical fund support of up to $20K, whether these are for sample or data projects. Proposals focussed specifically on data and data product projects that can demonstrate additional leverage towards a project, can apply for up to $30K.
This successful program has supported many legacy grant projects centred on the analysis of previously collected DSDP/ODP/IODP samples and has facilitated the rapid production of high-quality publications, conference presentations and/or outreach activities.
Call closes: 24th July 2020. 5pm AEST More information HERE and apply HERE
ANZIC Ocean Planet Report now available!
The ANZIC Ocean Planet Workshop report, “Ocean Planet: An ANZIC workshop report focused on future research challenges and opportunities for collaborative international scientific ocean drilling” is now available for viewing and download. The report forms part of the future international Science Strategic Plan beyond 2023. See here:
Future Science Opportunities Synthesis Report (Davis Aerorome Project) now available on Australian Antarctic Division's website
Dr Linda Armbrecht represented the University of Adelaide at the "Future Science Opportunities Workshop" held by the Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart, March 2020 (via Zoom). This workshop was one of an Australia-wide series to discuss new research avenues arising from enhanced aviation capability and modernisation of the Antarctic Davis research station. The outcomes of these workshops and discussions is now publicly available in the form of the Future Science Opportunities Synthesis Report via the Antarctic Division’s website.
New, optimised protocol for the extraction of ancient eukaryote DNA from marine sediments
Our latest paper 'An optimized method for the extraction of ancient eukaryote DNA from marine sediments' is now accepted and in press with Molecular Ecology Resources (Armbrecht, L., Herrando-Pérez, S., Eisenhofer, R., Hallegraeff, G.M., Bolch, C.J.S., Cooper, A). Our article describes an optimised sedaDNA extraction protocol to maximise the yield of small DNA fragments typical of ancient DNA (aDNA) across a broad diversity of eukaryotes. This new extraction and data-processing protocol should improve quantitative paleo-monitoring of eukaryotes from marine sediments, as well as other studies relying on the detection of highly fragmented and degraded eukaryote DNA in sediments.
Provide your input into the IODP's new 2050 Science Framework "Exploring Earth Through Scientific Ocean Drilling"!
Please help shape the future of scientific ocean drilling by providing input to this document that addresses society’s most pressing Earth science questions. All members of the IODP community and beyond are invited to review and comment here http://iodp.org/2050-science-framework-survey (open until 15 March 23:00 PST).
Thank you so much for your continued support and energy in providing scientific ocean drilling with a bright future!
Grant success
Dr Linda Armbrecht was awarded Australian and New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program Consortium (ANZIC) Post-Cruise funding to study 'Subantarctic marine sedimentary ancient DNA: the influence of environmental variables on preservation and degradation (IODP Expedition 382)’, with collaborators Dr Y. Martos, Dr M. Gutjahr, A/Prof. L. Weyrich, Dr Y. Liu. AUD$20,000.
ICP13 Conference report now available in PAGES Magazine
Falster, G., Armbrecht, L., Missiaen, L. (2019). Under the Southern Cross: 13th International Conference on Paleoceanography. PAGES Magazine 27, p.87, doi.org/10.22498/pages.27.2.87. http://www.pages.unibe.ch/products/latest/12947-under-sthn-cross-13-icp
Plenary talk at ICP13
Dr Linda Armbrecht is a session speaker at the13th International Conference on Paleoceanography in Sydney, Australia, 2 – 6 September 2019, the first ICP held under the Southern Cross. https://icp13.com.au/index.php
Preliminary Report published: IODP Expedition 382 Iceberg Alley and Subantarctic Ice and Ocean Dynamics
Weber, M.E., Raymo, M.E., Peck, V.L., Williams, T., and the Expedition 382 Scientists, 2019. Expedition 382 Preliminary Report: Iceberg Alley and Subantarctic Ice and Ocean Dynamics. International Ocean Discovery Program. https://doi.org/10.14379/iodp.pr.382.2019.
Joining ANZIC Science committee
Dr Linda Armbrecht joins Australian and New Zealand International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Consortium (ANZIC) science committee in June 2019. https://iodp.org.au/
New review on marine sedimentary ancient DNA best-practise techniques
Read about newest developments marine sedaDNA sampling and analyses in this newly published review:
Ancient DNA from marine sediments: Precautions and considerations for seafloor coring, sample handling and data generation. Armbrecht, L.H., Coolen, M.J., Lejzerowicz, F., George, S.C., Negandhi, K., Suzuki, Y., Young, J., Foster, N.R., Armand, L.K., Cooper, A. and Ostrowski, M., 2019. Earth-Science Reviews, p.102887. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001282521830624X
Marine sedaDNA sampling IODP Exp 382 - Iceberg Alley and Subantarctic Ice and Ocean Dynamics
International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 382, led by Co-chiefs Mike Weber and Maureen Raymo, is setting sail between March - May 2019, with on-board scientist Dr Linda Armbrecht leading sedaDNA sampling. https://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/iceberg_alley_paleoceanography.html