Belinda Dechnik

Geocoastal Research Group

The University of Sydney

 PhD Candidate (Marine Science)

e: bdec4339@uni.sydney.edu.au

Belinda Dechnik is a PhD candidate of the Geocoastal Research Group at the University of Sydney. Her project focuses on investigating the evolution of Holocene and Pleistocene reefs in the GBR, in order to gain a greater understanding of past palaeoclimate and sea-level. Belinda has a B.Sc (Hons) in Marine Science (2011) from the University of Sydney. Her Honours thesis focused on variations in coralgal assemblages and their palaeoenvironmental significance for the Holocene “turn on” of the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Between her undergraduate and postgraduate work, Belinda has undertaken extensive research in sedimentology and stratigraphy, geochemistry (¹⁴C and U/Th dating and SEM), marine geology, invertebrate biology as well as sedimentary facies analysis, community ecology and taxonomy. Her areas of research interest include Quaternary reef/carbonate platform development and demise and abrupt palaeoclimate change (sea level and oceanographic changes).

Belinda is part of an ongoing research team investigating the evolutionary development of reef systems in the GBR and is also part of the research team investigation last interglacial sea-level change in the Seychelles.

You can find out more about Belinda’s research using the link below.

• Research Gate

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
• Dechnik, B., Webster, J., Nothdurft, L., Webb, G., Braga, J-C., Zhao, J., Duce, S., Sadler, J. 2016. Evolution of the Great Barrier Reef over the last 125 ka. Quaternary Science Reviews-In Review.

• Dechnik, B., Webster, J., Nothdurft, L., Webb, G., Braga, J-C., Zhao, J., Duce, S., Harris, H., Vila-Concejo, A., Puotinen, M. 2015. Holocene reef flat accretion in the Great Barrier Reef: Re-thinking traditional growth models. Quaternary Research-In Press.

• Kelly, C., Smith, J., Boston, B., Miller, J., Tree, J., Boston, B., Garcia, M., Ito, Garret., Taylor, J., Lichowski, F., Wagner, D., Leonard, J., Dechnik, B., Leurs, D. 2015. New Insights from Seafloor Mapping of a Hawaiian Marine Monument. Eos Transactions American Geophysic Union; 96.
• Dechnik, B., Webster, J., Davies, P., Braga, J-C., Reimer, P Holocene “turn-on” and evolution of the Southern Great Barrier Reef; Revisiting reef cores from the Capricorn Bunker Group. 2015. Marine Geology; 363.

• Sadler,J., Gregory, W., Nothdurft, L., Dechnik, B. 2014. Geochemistry based coral palaeoclimate studies and the potential of ‘non-traditional’ corals: Recent developments and future progress. Earth Science Reviews:139.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS (collaborators)

• Coral reef response to last Interglacial sea-level changes in the granitic Seychelles (Vyverberg, K., Dutton, A., Webster, J).
• Drilling of fossil reefs in the Capricorn Bunker Group, Southern Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to; (1) better establish the onset of reef initiation, sea-level stabilisation and dating anomalies; (2) Construct a composite palaeoclimate record for the last 125 ka using both geochemical proxies and coral assemblage data; (3) define the variation in reef facies and assemblages (G. Webb, J. Webster, L. Northdurft, J. Zhao, J-C. Braga)
• The environmental parameters that influence the distribution of forams in the inter reef area from the coast to the Great Barrier Reef (Renema, W., Delma, O., Webster, J).
• Spur and groove distribution, morphology and relationships to relative wave exposure and sediment dynamics (Duce. S., Vila-Concejo, A., Webster, J).
• Variations in coralgal assemblages and their palaeoenvironmental significance for the Holocene, Southern Great Barrier Reef. (J. Webster, P. Davies, J-C Braga, P. Reimer).

OUTREACH

• http://www.technology.org/2015/05/05/slowdown-after-ice-age-sounds-a-warning-for-great-barrier-reefs-future/
• Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) Harbour Hike-participated in rising funds and awareness about marine and coastal management practises in Sydney Australia (2015).