Please
quote reference: PHD 01/09
Closing
date for applications: 1st March 2009
A
PhD studentship is available at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), starting
October 2009, for a project to investigate the variability of stratospheric
ozone and its impact on climate. Increasing evidence links Antarctica’s
seasonal ozone hole with observed temperature changes over the Antarctic
plateau and Peninsula. However the underlying mechanisms remain open to
debate and are a focus of major international scientific effort. The
structure of the middle atmosphere ozone layer may be impacted by projected
rises of greenhouse gases and natural perturbations including solar events,
explosive volcanic eruptions, and energetic charged particles that exert
dynamic influences over a range of timescales.
Given
that, in recent decades Antarctic atmospheric observations yielded data that
defied predictions, this PhD project aims to provide a timely inspection of
observed ozone and temperature profiles for signatures linking the middle
atmosphere to Antarctic climate. The student will utilise data from the
BAS microwave radiometer at Troll station (72°S, 2°E), infrared satellite
instruments, and ozonesondes to synthesize vertical ozone and temperature
profiles for the altitude range 15 km to 90 km. Observations will be
compared with the latest chemistry-climate model predictions to test short
timescale variability and evaluated against new datasets prepared for the next
International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment.
This
PhD studentship links to the BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth (PSPE)
programme and NERC Climate theme in three key areas:- Observations to validate climate
change detection and prediction; Improving understanding and modelling of key
processes determining the sensitivity of the climate system; Improving
understanding of natural variability and the link with climate change.
The
student will be based at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge (United
Kingdom) but will spend time at the Physics
Department (RAE 5*) at the University of Oxford. The student will receive
excellent training in microwave radiometry, computer-based data analysis,
remote sensing, and atmospheric science. They will be working in an
environment of practical and analytical expertise from specialists in
spectroscopy, instrumentation, radiative transfer, and Earth observation.
The ideal student will have an excellent physical science degree, good
computational skills, and a strong interest in atmospheric science.
Salary: Funding is already secured for this studentship. The NERC award for the
2009-10 year will be £13,290. For more information, see http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/awards/.
Eligibility: For eligibility see
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/available/postgrad/eligibility.asp.
Supervisors: Dr David Newnham
(BAS, Cambridge) and Dr Anu Dudhia (University of Oxford, Physics).
For
further details about the British Antarctic Survey please see: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk
Applicants
should include a cover letter, a CV, and the e-mail addresses of two
referees. We anticipate holding interviews in Cambridge on 23rd
March 2009.
Applications
and enquiries should be addressed to:
Dr
David Newnham
British
Antarctic Survey
High
Cross, Madingley Road
Cambridge,
CB3 0ET, UK
Email:
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