Christopher Wurster

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Read More About Me at JCNN

  • Senior Research Associate

    • A.A.S., Forest Technology, 1993. New York State Ranger School, Wanakena, New York, USA.

    • B.S. Environmental and Forest Biology, 1995. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse, Syracuse, New York, USA.

    • M.S., Earth Sciences, 1999. Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.

    • Ph.D., Geological Sciences, 2005. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

    • Sea Grant Scholar, New York State Sea Grant Institute, 2000-2002, 2005

    • NERC Research Fellow, School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, 2006-2009

Office:

A2-220, Cairns Campus

Phone:

+61 07 4042 1196

Fax:

+61 07 4042 1284

Email:

christopher.wurster@jcu.edu.au

Research

I chose to specialize in environmental geochemistry, particularly in stable isotope biogeochemistry, because it gives me the flexibility to investigate a wide range of topics that can contribute to our understanding of environmental change. My research incorporates both terrestrial (from the humid tropics to dry lands) and aquatic systems (both freshwater and oceanic), and I have utilized a suite of stable isotope ratios on a wide array of materials including water, carbonate, phosphate, and organic matter. My current foci include developing records of environmental change from guano deposits in caves worldwide, and continuing to investigate fish behaviour using stable isotope compositions of their tissues and otoliths from both ‘traditional’ stable isotope ratio mass spectrometers and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry.

Selected Publications

Wurster, C. M., Bird, M. I., and McFarlane, D. A., 2010. Bat guano: Record of climate change. McGraw Hill 2010 Yearbook of Science & Technology. McGraw Hill.

Wurster, C.M., Saiz, G., Calder, A., & Bird, M.I., 2010, Recovery of organic matter from mineral-rich sediment and soils for stable isotope analyses using static dense media: Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry24: 165-168.

Wurster, C. M., Bird, M. I., Bull, I. Bryant, C., and Ascough, P., 2009. A protocol for radiocarbon dating tropical sub-fossil cave guano.Radiocarbon 51: 1-10.

Hanson, N. N., Wurster, C. M., Bird, M. I., Reid, K., and Boyd, I. L., 2009. Intrinsic and extrinsic forcing in life histories: patterns of growth and stable isotopes in male Antarctic fur seal teeth. Marine Ecology Progress Series 388: 263-272.

Wurster, C.M., Patterson, W. P., McFarlane, D. A., Wassenaar, L. I., Hobson, K. A., BeavanAthfield, N., and Bird,M. I., 2008. Stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes from bat guano in the Grand Canyon, USA, reveals Younger Dryas and 8.2 ka events. Geology 36:683-688.

Dufour, E., Gerdeaux, D., and Wurster, C. M., 2007. Whitefish (Coregonuslavaretus) respiration rate governs intra-otolith variation of δ13C values in Lake Annecy. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 64: 1736-1746.

Wurster, C. M.,McFarlane, D. A., andBird, M. I., 2007. Spatial and temporal expression of vegetation and atmospheric variability from stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bat guano in the southern United States.GeochimicaetCosmochemicaActa71: 3302-3310.

Wurster, C. M., Patterson, W. P., andStewart, D. J., 2005. Thermal histories, stress, and metabolic rates of chinook salmon in Lake Ontario: evidence from intra-otolith�18O and �13C values and energetics modeling. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 62(3): 205-218.

Adella Edwards of 6630staff last updated this page on 7 Feb 2013.