Meet Helen Bostock
Meet Helen Bostock
What is your job title?
Marine Geologist at NIWA.
What do you study and why is it important?
I am primarily interested in sedimentology and ocean chemistry in order to understand changes in climate and ocean circulation. I use a range of techniques including sediment grainsize, foraminifera assemblages, and stable isotopes and carbonate concentration. I have recently been working on some sediment cores from the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and will hopefully work on sediment cores from the Macquarie Ridge to look at glacial/interglacial changes in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its influence on the global climate.
What will you be doing on the voyage?
I will be involved in piston and gravity coring, processing sediment cores, and sampling the water. I will also help with running the multibeam bathymetry.
Where were you educated?
Jesus College, University of Cambridge, England where I undertook the Natural Sciences Tripos majoring in geology for my BA and MSci.
Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia for my PhD.
Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Not really, but the Southern Ocean will be a real test on the stomach!
How did you become interested in the ocean?
I spent a lot of time as a child living overseas in warm tropical places and did a lot of snorkelling. My granddad was a merchant sailor and my mother worked for a short time in a Natural History Museum classifying molluscs, while my dad took us on geology field trips with some of his work colleagues. I guess I have become a combination of these influences!
What do you enjoy about your work?
The variety of work, from ship time, laboratory analyses, desk work, conferences. I also enjoy the exploratory nature of the work, as many areas around New Zealand have never been studied, so you just don’t know what you are going to find… it is a big adventure!
What are some of the challenges you face?
Trying to interpret the analyses from my work in the broader context of global climate change and oceanography. Climate is a very complicated, with many negative and positive feedbacks. I also struggle with balancing work and social life!
How do you spend your spare time?
I am a keen mountain biker, tramper, skier and have done quite a bit of climbing in the past. When not throwing myself down mountains I try my hand at pottery, and I really enjoy cooking. When I’m out at sea I occasionally get around to reading a book or two, play some scrabble, catch up on all the movies I haven’t seen, and will pull out my knitting needles during a boring shift!
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