NERC PhD Studentship
The NERC PhD Studentship competition is now closed and shortlisting/interviews are currently taking place.
Every year we have various potential studentship opportunities and we are keen to attract high-quality applicants for the next round of funding schemes opening in January 2013. We are looking for motivated students with quantitative skills and a strong interest in Earth and Environmental Sciences, with MSc-degree level training in a relevant discipline.
Project ideas are available within the following general thematic areas:
- Surface-atmosphere Interactions and Fluxes
- Eco-Hydrology, River Management, and Bio-Geomorphology
- Natural Hazards and Environmental Management
- Sediment Dynamics and Stratigraphy
Interested applicants are strongly urged to contact the principal supervisor on a project for informal discussion and development. A number of competitive College and extra-mural studentship schemes will be available for September 2013 entry.
Below is a list of potential project ideas that can be considered as a basis for discussion:
Project Ideas:
Surface-Atmosphere Interactions and Fluxes
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Bridging the Gap between Aeolian Geomorphology and Meteorology: Scaling Boundary Layer Flow and Turbulence
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Agent Based Modelling - Land Surface Modelling of Heat, Water and Carbon Exchanges in Cities
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Numerical Modelling of Land Surface Hydrology and Assessing Predictions of Surface-Atmosphere Exchanges
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Real-Time Global Atmospheric Modelling of Wildfire Emissions Transport
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Evaluating Saharan Dust Sources using a Multi-Scale Remote Sensing Approach
Eco-Hydrology, River Management, and Bio-Geomorphology
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Bio-Geomorphology in Fluvial and Arid Environments: Plant Functional Typologies and Burial Response
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Structure and Function of Ecotopes within the Thames River/Estuary Transition Zones
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Reconciliation Ecology of Urban Rivers
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Animals in Oases: Biogeography and Ecology of the Wet Sahara
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Eco-Hydromorphic Mechanisms and Interactions in Tropical Rivers
Natural Hazards and Environmental Management
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Invasive Species as Natural Hazards: Developing an Invasion Severity Index
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Geomorphic Completeness and Risk for Historical Landslides
Sediment Dynamics and Stratigraphy
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Evaluating the Stratigraphy, Petrology and Palaeoclimate of Lake Megafezzan
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Lower Mississippi Sediments and Dynamics
Surface-Atmosphere Interactions and Fluxes
Bridging the Gap between Aeolian Geomorphology and Meteorology: Scaling Boundary Layer Flow and Turbulence
Supervisors: Dr Andreas Baas and Prof Sue Grimmond
Understanding of boundary layer flow and turbulence is fundamental both in aeolian geomorphology, for wind-driven transport of sand and dust over beaches and dunes, and in local-scale meteorology, for surface-atmosphere exchanges of heat and moisture over urban regions. Both disciplines share the same concepts and theories, but work on very different physical scales relative to the size of the boundary layer and the roughness elements. This project will investigate commonalities and differences in application, interpretation, and assumptions of boundary layer flow theory, conducting field measurements in both environments using advanced instrumentation, to establish implications and knowledge transfer between the two disciplines.
Agent Based Modelling - Land Surface Modelling of Heat, Water and Carbon Exchanges in Cities
Supervisors: Prof Sue Grimmond and Dr Andreas Baas
Urban areas are locations where many people are at enhanced risk to a wide range of environmental hazards. This results in part because of the population density of cities; the location of many urban areas near rivers, coasts etc; and the conditions generated by the cities themselves (e.g., heat stress and poor air quality). The focus of this study is the climate/atmosphere of cities, specifically the effects of the behaviours and actions of those living in cities on key exchanges of water, energy (heat) and carbon. Agent based modelling will be used to develop parameter specifications for a state-of-the-art urban surface-atmosphere exchange model (SUEWS). The linked model will then be used to investigate the impact of human decisions on environmental risks (heat stress and drought in particular) and to consider interventions and strategies for alternative outcomes.
Numerical Modelling of Land Surface Hydrology and Assessing Predictions of Surface-Atmosphere Exchanges
Supervisors: Dr Hannah Cloke and Prof Sue Grimmond
The representation of land surface hydrological processes in land surface schemes of atmospheric models is a challenging task, but one that is essential for atmospheric predictions used for weather forecasting and climate change. There has been little robust assessment of the influence of hydrological process representation and parameterisation on soil moisture estimates, river flow and feedbacks to the atmosphere, such as evaporation. This may be particularly poorly represented in urban areas. This project will undertake an uncertainty assessment of the hydrological representation in models such as JULES and HTESSEL, evaluate the impact on the representation of soil water exchange processes and predictions of surface-atmosphere water exchanges.
Evaluating Saharan Dust Sources using a Multi-Scale Remote Sensing Approach
Supervisors: Dr Nick Drake and Dr Andreas Baas
Mineral dust aerosols play an important role in the land-atmosphere-ocean system affecting radiative forcing, cloud properties, rain chemistry, human health, soil development, and the fertility of both ocean and land. One of the most important gaps in our understanding of the global dust cycle is where the dust comes from, a prerequisite for modelling the response of dust emissions to changing climate conditions. Satellite remote sensing provides an effective tool for evaluating dust sources and has shown that most of the world’s dust comes from the Sahara. This project applies a multi-scale remote sensing approach to mapping Saharan dust sources using SEVIRI, MODIS, Landsat TM, Google Earth and targeted fieldwork. The aim is to develop a map outlining the geomorphic nature of dust sources that can be employed in regional and global climate models.
Real-Time Global Atmospheric Modelling of Wildfire Emissions Transport
Supervisors: Dr Marcus Köhler and Prof Martin Wooster
Biomass burning represents a globally significant flux of material (carbon compounds, other trace gases and aerosols) transported from the land to the atmosphere. A major new modelling system designed to monitor and forecast the atmospheric impact of biomass burning in near real time has been developed by combining an atmospheric chemistry-transport model with operational satellite remote sensing observations. This PhD project will evaluate and ultimately improve the systems accuracy by undertaking a series of case studies of major biomass burning events conducted across the primary eco-region types affected (boreal, temperate, tropical etc) and which will be validated against independent sources (e.g. atmospheric chemistry and aerosol observations made from satellite and ground based systems). The aim will be to analyse the system performance, develop any identified improvements (e.g. in how BB emissions are linked to the atmospheric transport model) and to provide the testing and validation needed to help deliver the final operational system. The PhD will be conducted in collaboration with ECMWF, and the student will be provided with access to state of the art supercomputer resources in order to perform their own model runs outside of the near real time system (e.g. to analyse past events). It is expected that there will be opportunities to attend one or several field experiments where biomass burning can be observed and characterised 'in person'.
Eco-Hydrology, River Management, and Bio-Geomorphology
Bio-Geomorphology in Fluvial and Arid Environments: Plant Functional Typologies and Burial Response
Supervisors: Dr Andreas Baas and Dr Rob Francis
Many plant species influence geomorphic processes of sediment transport and deposition and can ecologically engineer their local environment, initiating new landforms such as vegetated coastal foredunes and river islands. This project will investigate the response of key bio-geomorphic vegetation species and functional typologies to burial stresses in fluvial and aeolian environments, both through controlled laboratory experiments on individual plants as well as through in-situ field monitoring of larger stands. Trends and interactions will be compared and empirical findings will be applied to predictive modelling of ecosystem-landform evolution under different sediment transport scenarios.
Structure and Function of Ecotopes within the Thames River/Estuary Transition Zones: Implications for Ecosystem Recovery in Relation to Water Quality
Supervisors: Dr Mike Chadwick, Dr Rob Francis, and Prof Nick Clifford
London’s Victorian sewer system is currently in the process of significant improvement. The modernization of existing sewage works and the construction of Lee and Thames Tunnels to end storm-related sewage discharge is likely one the of the most ambitious river restoration projects ever undertaken. The focus of this NERC funded PhD studentship would be to evaluate the current ecological status of the river with particular focus on reaches in close vicinity to current combined sewer outfalls. River ecotopes would be characterised to define key ecological and hydrogeomorphological characteristics and indicators, which may then be used as the basis for predictions of how expected water quality improvements will translate to restoration of ecological structure and function.
Reconciliation Ecology of Urban Rivers
Supervisors: Dr Rob Francis, Dr Michael Chadwick, and Prof Nick Clifford
The use of living walls as a form of ecological engineering has been suggested as a possible form of reconciliation ecology within urban river systems. This NERC funded PhD studentship will support an existing project along the River Thames through central London to trial living wall modules to improve wall habitat and create novel plant and invertebrate species assemblages in an otherwise harsh urban environment. This will also involve an assessment of public response to such ecological engineering along a highly visible and high-profile global urban river.
Animals in Oases: Biogeography and Ecology of the Wet Sahara
Supervisors: Dr Mike Chadwick and Dr Nick Drake
Understanding contemporary ecosystem structure in arid regions has received relatively limited attention particularly the Sahara. However, animals present in these systems can inform about both current and palaeolimnetic conditions. The focus of this NERC funded PhD studentship is to investigate the variation among current and past faunal structure, relationships with physico-chemical conditions and continuity through a range of temporal scales.
Eco-Hydromorphic Mechanisms and Interactions in Tropical Rivers
Supervisors: Dr Mike Chadwick and Prof Nick Clifford
Research relating the ecology of riverine organisms to their physical habitat is vitally important for implementing environmental protection, particularly given concerns over anthropogenic habitat modifications and climate change. Hydromorphology can serve as a conceptual template; however, linking physical variables with ecological responses has proved difficult. An alternative approach is the identification and characterization morphological units with a range of hydraulic, sedimentary and vegetative variables or biotopes. The focus of this NERC funded PhD studentship would be to investigate the “biotope approach” in tropical river in southeast Asia which to date have received relatively little study, but are at ever increase risk of environmental degradation.
Natural Hazards and Environmental Management
Invasive Species as Natural Hazards: Developing an Invasion Severity Index
Supervisors: Dr Rob Francis and Dr Bruce D. Malamud
It is widely recognised that invasive alien species (IAS) can cause substantial environmental and economic damage to their host ecosystems and societies, such that they may be considered a form of ‘natural disaster’. Although many ‘at risk’ societies prepare for the eventualities of rare, high-impact disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, there is limited preparation for biological invasions, despite these often being more harmful over long timescales. This main objective of this NERC funded PhD will be to create a ‘scale’ of invasion severity (based on key impact criteria) that may be used to galvanise action by governing bodies and communities responsible for the prevention and control of IAS. This will be done through a synthesis of available literature and data to determine the trends and impacts of different IAS around the world, and through, where appropriate, computer simulations.
Geomorphic Completeness and Risk for Historical Landslides
Supervisors: Dr Bruce D. Malamud and Dr Andreas Baas
Landslides are frequent in mountainous areas, but their signatures are slowly erased over the centuries through subsequent erosion, vegetation, human activity, etc. The historical landslide record that we see today represents only a small percentage of the original activity over time. This project examines the statistical and spatial distribution of historical landslides and their geomorphic completeness. We will use actual inventories from over a dozen key localities around the world and extensive grid-based computer simulations, with scope for using mathematical and statistical tools from the complexity sciences. The project will establish better understanding of geomorphic completeness and sediment budget changes over time and will be useful for managing landslide risk on longer timescales.
Sediment Dynamics and Stratigraphy
Evaluating the Stratigraphy, Petrology and Palaeoclimate of Lake Megafezzan
Supervisors: Dr Nick Drake and Dr Bruce Malamud
Ancient palaeolake sediment records are rare in the Sahara. However, the record of the Libyan Fazzan demonstrates a long history of North African climate change produced by a giant lake known as Lake Megafazzan. This lake has periodically existed in the region since the late Miocene and includes inter-bedded aeolian sands and lacustrine limestones that show a variation in climate from arid to humid condition on glacial/interglacial timescales. The proposed PhD will involve petrological and isotopic analysis of samples collected from six existing extensive outcrops in different parts of the lake basin. These samples will be used to build a facies model to better construct the development and demise of the palaeolake.
Lower Mississippi Sediments and Dynamics
Supervisors: Dr Bruce Malamud and Prof Nick Clifford
This project utilises a large, spatially-distributed data set relating to the fine sediment dynamics of the lower Mississippi River from c. 1850 to the present. Sediment dynamics in this environment are of key interest (a) in assessing potential for natural stabilisation and replenishment of coastal marsh areas; (b) in assessing the impact of basin-wide environmental change on river dynamics and (c) in developing improved modelling and monitoring protocols for river management use.
The project will build on preliminary data series analysis, and will seek to quantify spatial and temporal associations within and between the various measuring stations contributing to the data set, and to relate these to natural and anthropogenic drivers.