In early 2023, I will be joining Exeter University as a Royal Commission of 1851 Research Fellow. I am advertising the following PhD studentship through the NERC GW4+ DTP programme. The deadline for applications is 9th January 2023. I encourage potential applicants to reach out to me beforehand with any questions at markengland20@gmail.com. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with Professor James Screen of Exeter University, Dr Thomas Bracegirdle of the British Antarctic Survey, and Dr Ed Blockley of the Met Office. During the project the student will be based at Exeter University spend time at the nearby Met Office and the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. Below is more information about the projects and partners.
Apply at https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4607
Arctic climate has changed profoundly over the last four decades: the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average (Rantanen et al 2022); the area covered by sea ice has dramatically shrunk; and the proportion of ice surviving more than one year is reduced (Fig 1). These trends are projected by state-of-the-art climate models to continue over the coming decades. However, the uncertainties associated with these projections are very large. CMIP6 models suggest that the Arctic warming experienced over the next 30 years could span the range of 1°C to 6°C.
These uncertainties arise from imperfect models, the lack of perfect knowledge about future emissions, and internal climate variability. The overarching aim of Arctic 2050 is to systematically reduce these uncertainties, which would enable regional stakeholders and Arctic communities to develop robust plans for dealing with near-term climate change. Other research questions include: (i) how much of near-term Arctic climate change is unavoidable? (ii) relatedly, is the occurrence of an ice-free Arctic summer (Fig 2) by mid-century inevitable as has been recently suggested (SIMIP 2020)? (iii) which observed features of the climate system give us predictability for the coming decades in the Arctic? and (iv) what is the best way to convey results to policymakers and regional stakeholders?
Project Aims and Methods
To provide more precise near-term projections of Arctic climate change, the student will analyse comprehensive climate model output from the CMIP6 archive as well as leveraging the new generation of large ensembles (Deser et al 2020). Throughout the project, the student will use novel approaches to constrain the climate projections, including advanced statistical techniques and a complementary process-based emergent constraint framework (Hall et al 2019), as well as applying data visualisation strategies and working extensively with state-of-the-art climate model data. One approach for conveying results to policymakers and stakeholders will involve constructing climate storylines (Shepherd et al 2018).
This project is designed to be connected with climate impacts and have real world policy implications. With support from the supervisors, the student will be encouraged to shape the focus of research to suit their own interests. The student will be primarily based at the University of Exeter, a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre for world-leading climate science. There will be opportunities to spend time at the British Antarctic Survey and Met Office, and to engage with non-academic partners.
Candidate requirements
The candidate must have achieved, or be expected to achieve, a first class or 2:1 degree in Meteorology, Climate Science, Oceanography, Mathematics, Physics, Environmental Science, or related field. A Master’s level qualification with previous experience of conducting independent research is desirable. Knowledge of scientific programming languages (e.g., Python, Matlab, R, NCL) would be advantageous, but is not essential.
Project partners
This project is in collaboration with the Met Office, a globally recognised centre for climate modelling and prediction located nearby in Exeter, and the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. The student will benefit from regular visits to these institutions, gain exposure to non-University research environments and have access to a wide range of student training courses and networking/social events.
Training
Training will include the use of high-performance computing resources, data analysis and visualisation, as well as scientific writing and presentation. The student will be encouraged to participate in external training courses and international conferences, for which there is a generous travel and training budget. The student will benefit from working alongside internationally recognised climate scientists at the University of Exeter, the British Antarctic Survey, and the Met Office.