Snail shells record Cyclone history in Queensland, Australia
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Researchers at the University of Queensland discovered that the growth rings on the shells of Biggenden Banded Snails (Figuladra bayensis) hold a record of past weather events.
The team studied a snail collected from Coalstoun Lakes National Park in southeast Queensland, Australia, and used radiocarbon dating to determine its age and growth patterns. They found that the snail lived for approximately 4.5 years and experienced periods of rapid growth followed by stagnation.
The researchers initially thought the growth spurts would align with years of high rainfall. However, analysis of oxygen and carbon isotopes revealed the snail’s shell grew quickly after extreme rainfall from cyclones. Specifically, growth spurts corresponded to Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia and Tropical Cyclone Debbie, which impacted Coalstoun Lakes National Park in 2015 and 2017. Jamie Shulmeister explained the discovery could allow scientists to map prehistoric cyclones by examining shells preserved in sediment layers.
The team plans to test this approach by analyzing older snail shells found in various sediment deposits to reconstruct a longer history of extreme weather events in the region.
