Please quote reference: PHD 01/09
Closing date for applications: 1^st 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 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 23^rd March 2009.

Applications and enquiries should be addressed to:

Dr David Newnham
British Antarctic Survey
High Cross, Madingley Road
Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Email: david.newnham@bas.ac.uk