Fully Funded Studentship: The Southern Ocean: Barrier or Blender? (SALMAN_U14EE) University of East Anglia -School of Environmental Sciences

Deadline: 6th January 2014.

Supervisor: Dr Hayder Salman H.Salman@uea.ac.uk  

The Project:

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the Southern Ocean is the world's largest, and arguably most influential, ocean current, and serves as the principal pathway of exchange between ocean basins. The Southern Ocean is also the primary region where anthropogenic carbon dioxide enters the ocean from the atmosphere and is central to our understanding of how the climate is responding to anthropogenic forcing.

Ocean eddies are a ubiquitous feature and play a particularly pivotal role in the dynamics and thermodynamics of the Southern Ocean. Although progress has been made in the last decade, many aspects of eddies remain poorly understood, rendering it difficult to faithfully parameterise their effects in climate models. Recent studies suggest that the ability of eddies to mix heat, salt, carbon and other properties in the Southern Ocean is somewhat suppressed in the surface layer by the presence of the ACC, but strongly enhanced at mid depth where there are “critical layers”. However, the underlying mechanisms are far from being understood, and there is an ongoing debate concerning whether the Southern Ocean is a barrier or blender for eddy mixing. 

This PhD project aims to improve our understanding of how the eddies mix properties in the Southern Ocean, which, in turn, help to guide future eddy parameterizations in climate models. You will join an active research team of mathematicians and physical oceanographers. The primary tool to tackle the project is a combination of theory and numerical models of different complexity. You may also have the opportunity to participate in research cruises to make relevant measurements to test your theory and model results.

This project has been shortlisted for funding by the newly-created ENV East Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) – a collaboration led by the University of East Anglia, with the Universities of Essex and Kent, and twenty other partners. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed as part of the Studentship Competition. The interview dates will be 14th and 15th February 2014 at one of the three Universities listed above.

Entry Requirements:

First degree (2.1) in a relevant subject such as environmental science, geography, or related subject, and social science subjects.

Funding:

Due to funding restrictions funding for PhD studentships from NERC is available to successful candidates who meet the UK Research Council eligibility criteria. These requirements are detailed in the NERC studentships handbook (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/application/studentships). In most cases UK and EU nationals who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the course are eligible for a full-award. Other EU nationals may qualify for a fees only award or a full award if they are migrant workers in the UK. All candidates should check the NERC eligibility guidelines to confirm their eligibility for funding

The current stipend for 2013/14 is £13,726 per annum.

For further information please visit the Apply link below.

To discuss the application process or particular projects, please contact the: Admissions Office, email:pgr.enquiries.admiss@uea.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1603 591709.