Many thanks to those who have already completed the CliMathNet survey! We very much appreciate you taking the time to submit your views and comments.

We would be glad if any others would like to send their views via the survey, so please read on if you have not yet completed the survey. The survey is 10 questions long and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete.



CliMathNet was set up with the support of EPSRC in 2013 and has support to continue running until 2018 via the EPSRC support of ReCoVER.

Beyond then, we would like CliMathNet to continue, if it can, to provide ongoing support to those interested in research in the application of and development of mathematics/statistics for climate and weather.

We have set up a survey, that we would appreciate your participation in. The purpose of the survey is to help us decide what aspects of the CliMathNet activities are important to continue so it is possible to plan for this.

You will find the survey here: https://goo.gl/forms/0iZPuTX8NDFTFN9B3


Many thanks, the CliMathNet team.

The CliMathNet Conference 2017 will take place from 29th August to 1st September 2017 at the University of Reading.

The conference addresses emerging mathematical, computational and statistical techniques for understanding weather and climate. Areas of interest include:

- Stochastic and deterministic modelling

- Data/model fusion and assimilations

- Prediction and Predictability

- Climate variability and climate change

- Understanding future from past climatic conditions

- Extreme events and critical transitions

- Model reduction techniques and parameterisation

- Downscaling and post-processing

- Geophysical turbulence

- Statistical Mechanics of Climate

- Numerical Models

- High performance Computing

The conference will feature a special session dedicated to showcasing relevant research outputs of some UK-based graduate schools. This event is a collaboration of CliMathNet, of the Centre for the Mathematics of Planet Earth of the University of Reading, and of the Mathematics of Planet Earth Centre for Doctoral Training.

Abstract submission:

We are now accepting abstracts for this conference for both oral presentations and posters. If you would like to submit an abstract, please send it to Emily Paremain: [log in to unmask] We ask that abstracts are no longer than 500 words and if any special characters are to be included, please use LaTeX.

There will be a prize for the best student poster which will be awarded at the Conference.

Conference registration will open in March 2017.

Title: Ocean Biogeochemical Optimisation in Earth System Models (OBOE)

Supervisors: Profs. Samar Khatiwala (Earth Sciences) and Coralia Cartis (Mathematics), University of Oxford; Prof. Colin Jones, NERC/Met Office; Drs. Andrew Yool and Adrian Martin, NOCS

Start date: October 2017

As one of the principal reservoirs of CO2, the ocean plays a crucial role in the carbon cycle and in regulating Earth's climate. Understanding and modelling the interconnections between the ocean carbon cycle and climate is therefore critical for robust estimates of future climate change. A principal challenge in this regard is the absence of well-established sets of equations governing the behavior of marine ecosystems, which play a key role in ocean carbon dynamics. Consequently, fundamental processes, such as the formation and sinking of organic matter from the surface into the ocean interior are crudely parameterised. Improving the representation of these processes in global ocean biogeochemical models, embedded within Earth System Models (ESMs) used to project future climate change, is thus an important goal of current research and of this project in particular. Specifically, we seek to evaluate and improve the performance of MEDUSA (Model of Ecosystem Dynamics, nutrient Utilisation, Sequestration and Acidification), the ocean biogeochemical model in the next generation Met Office/NERC Earth system model (UKESM), currently under development. MEDUSA models the interaction between macro- and micro-nutrients, phytoplankton and carbon, representing these processes through a range of parameterisations that include a number of key uncertain parameters. We seek to improve the underlying formulation of these parameters to better represent available observational constraints.

To achieve this a number of challenges need to be addressed. First, because of the complex interaction between biogeochemistry and circulation, model sensitivities vary both in space and time, as well as with respect to the model field (e.g., nutrients v primary production). Second, evaluating the performance of global models is prohibitively expensive as every parameter change requires integrating the model for several thousand simulated years to equilibrium before the model can be compared with observations. As a result there have been very few attempts at systematically optimising the performance of models such as MEDUSA. To overcome this, the student will exploit a fast "offline" tracer simulation scheme and recently-developed mathematical optimisation techniques to optimise MEDUSA, a first for a global biogeochemical model of this complexity, especially one used in a state-of-the-art ESM.

Key outcomes of this project include (1) an estimate of MEDUSA's sensitivity to various parameters and thus the relative importance of key processes that affect the strength of the biological carbon pump; (2) an optimal set of parameters that minimizes the model-observation cost function built on several fields; and (3) a quantitative assessment of the impact of parameter optimisation on key aspects of UKESM1-projected Earth system change, such as global climate sensitivity, marine carbon uptake and the resulting biogeochemical state of the deep ocean.

This project brings together ocean biogeochemists, a mathematician and an Earth system modeller and the student will benefit from working actively with scientists from several disciplines, including the UKESM model development core group. S/he will receive training in not only marine biogeochemical and Earth system modelling, but also in high performance computing, numerical analysis and mathematical optimisation techniques with broad applicability in science and engineering. The student will be affiliated with Oxford's NERC-funded Environmental Science Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) in Environmental Research and will thus benefit from courses offered through the DTP as well as the Mathematical Institute.

Eligibility: UK/EU students with a good (2.1 or higher, or its equivalent) first degree in the natural sciences, maths or engineering and strong computing skills are encouraged to apply.

Application process: To apply follow the instructions at http://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/graduate_admissions. Informal inquiries may be directed to: Samar Khatiwala ([log in to unmask]) or to Coralia Cartis ([log in to unmask]).

Full-time, fixed term post (until 31 January 2019)
Salary: £29,301 to £32,004 per year, depending on experience

University of Reading
National Centre for Atmospheric Science-Climate
School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences
Department of Meteorology

The “Forecasting Air-Sea Coupled Interactions in Numerical weather prediction for Atmospheric Tropical Extremes” (FASCINATE) project aims to understand and improve predictions of tropical cyclones and related extremes in the West Pacific, to safeguard lives and livelihoods in the Philippines. We seek a post-doctoral Research Scientist to understand the relationships between West Pacific tropical cyclone activity and large-scale tropical phenomena (e.g., the Madden-Julian Oscillation), assess these relationships in forecast models and investigate whether simulating air-sea coupled feedbacks can improve short-range predictions of tropical cyclone tracks and intensities. The post-holder will benefit from extensive collaborations with the UK Met Office and the Philippines Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The complete job description, person specification and further information can be found at:
https://jobs.reading.ac.uk/DisplayJob.aspx?jobid=380

The link above also contains details on how to apply for the position. Applications must be made through the University of Reading online system; applications by email cannot be considered.

Applications close on 17 February 2017.

Questions or requests for further information can be emailed to the Principal Investigator, Dr. Nicholas Klingaman, at [log in to unmask]

Funding calls for ReCoVER funding are currently open for the following project types:

Pilot Studies - Up to £25K can be awarded for studies that will run for up to six months. These projects should aim to generate and analyse data and carry out initial original research on a topic that could lead to a full application for funding at the end of the study.

Embedded Research - Up to £10K can be awarded for research of up to six months. At least one researcher should be hosted by anther organisation, including, if relevant policy organisations or international collaborators.

Early Career Research (ECR) Projects - These projects can be awarded up to £5K for up to three months and will be targeted at projects led by early career researchers.

*The deadline for applications for the above funding types is Monday 27th March 2017.*




In addition, there are other funds available through the following funding schemes:

Mini-project/Meeting Fund - This fund is up to £2K and for up to one month which can be used for short collaborative visits or for small meetings. This funding is available on an onging basis.

Outreach Activity Fund - We welcome applications for up to £1k and for up to three months duration for projects and activites that will bring research in this area to the attention of the public or end users. Prior to completing the application form, please make sure that you read the guidance notes at the end of the application form in full. This funding is available on an onging basis.

The mini-project/meeting fund and the outreach funding calls are not limited to the deadline and so can be submitted at anytime and we will aim to respond with a funding decision within a shorter timescale.



Please see the ReCoVER website for further details:
https://sites.google.com/site/recoverlwec/funding