The University of Hamburg jointly with the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the Institute for Coastal Research at the GKSS Research Centre is establishing a trans-disciplinary research focus on "Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction, CliSAP". The goal is to analyze ongoing and past changes of the state of the climate system, in response to natural and human-driven perturbations, to determine predictable elements of the climate system over a broad range of space and time scales, and to determine uncertainties intrinsic to predictions of important climate system and environmental indices (see www.clisap.de).

The Cluster of Excellence, CliSAP, invites applications for

within 4 multi-disciplinary research projects:

1. "Climate archive dune (ClimAD)"

Discipline: Geology, Palaeontology

Outline:

The project aims to unravel the archive of wind-field variations recorded in the sedimentary succession of coastal dunes along the North German coast. Proxies for wind speed and wind direction will be determined by the geometrical and sedimentological analysis of dune architectural elements and by age assignment using optical-stimulated luminescence dating (OSL). The proxy based time series of the wind-field variations will be contrasted with time series based on instrumental observations. An approach should be developed, which will allow for the reconstruction of wind-field variations in time periods without continuous instrumental records and in regions where no instrumental data exist.

Responsibilities:

Ground-penetrating radar surveys (GPR) of northern German coastal dunes and shallow sediment coring. Processing, visualization and interpretation of GPR data. Grain-size analyses with laser-diffraction granulometer. Statistical data evaluation. Compilation of a time series of regional wind-field variations in the study area. Comparison of proxy-based data with instrumental records.

Requirements:

Academic degree in an academic subject area qualifying the holder to carry out the above-mentioned responsibilities. Knowledge in sedimentology and statistical methods. Experiences in the application of geophysical survey methods are an advantage.

For additional information please contact either Prof. Dr. Christian Betzler (christian.betzler@uni-hamburg.de) or Dr. Sebastian Lindhorst (sebastian.lindhorst@uni-hamburg.de) or see the website
http://www.uni-hamburg.de/geol_pal/beckenanalyse.html.

Reference: 08/2-004

2. "Hamburg Urban Soil Climate Observatory (HUSCO)"

Discipline: Geosciences, Meteorology

Outline:

HUSCO aims at the characterization of the local climate in the urban environment of Hamburg by establishing an observational network, which combines measurements in the atmosphere, in the soil and of exchange fluxes. The project focuses on the relevance of soil-atmosphere exchange processes of energy and water for urban climate with respect to the natural function of soils in the vicinity of anthropogenic impacts.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will analyse and quantify the heterogeneous climate modification in an urban area and assess the relevance of soil-atmosphere feedback processes. The work includes the installation, running and data evaluation of the HUSCO measurement stations comprising meteorological stations, eddy covariance systems and in-situ soil investigation stations in Hamburg.

Requirements:

Academic degree in geosciences with a distinct background in meteorology and/or soil science. The successful candidate should have enthusiasm in field studies and experience in computer based analysis of huge observational data sets.

For additional information please contact Jun.-Prof. Felix Ament (felix.ament@zmaw.de) or Prof. Annette Eschenbach (A.Eschenbach@ifb.uni-hamburg.de).

Reference: 08/2-029

3. "Volcanic iron bio-availability and its climate impact"

Discipline: Geophysics

Outline:

Explosive volcanism in the subduction zones produces large eruption columns providing relatively long time for volcanic ash and gas/aerosol interactions, thereby favouring soluble salt formation on ash surfaces. Different processes especially in the volcanic plume are assumed to contribute to the transformation of insoluble iron into soluble salts which get attached to volcanic ash particles. When volcanic ash deposition into the ocean takes place, such processes make volcanic iron bio-available for the marine biogeochemical iron cycles where it may affect phytoplankton production and consequently climate through carbon dioxide uptake by the ocean. This project focuses on the heterogeneous chemical and microphysical processes that occur in a volcanic plume and convert insoluble iron compounds in water soluble form.

Responsibilities:

In order to better constrain the production of these salts the successful candidate will extend the volcanic plume model ATHAM with modules describing the involved heterogeneous iron chemistry. Parameter studies will be carried out in order to constrain favourable and unfavourable conditions for the development of bio-available iron. The model will be tested against available data sets from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and Kasatochi volcano. Other candidates for testing the model have to be identified during the thesis.

Requirements:

Academic degree in an academic subject area qualifying the holder to carry out the above-mentioned responsibilities. Knowledge of a programming language (Fortran) as well as experience in programming in particular under Unix / Linux are a major plus.

The PhD student will work at the Institute of Geophysics in the group of Prof. Matthias Hort. For further information please contact Prof. Matthias Hort (matthias.hort@zmaw.de) or Dr. Bärbel Langmann (baerbel.langmann@zmaw.de).

Reference: 08/2-024

4. "Hydrological controls on the carbon dynamics of boreal peatlands - Investigated at the Ust-Pojeg mire complex, Komi Republic, NW-Russia"

Discipline: Geosciences, Chemistry, Biology

Outline:

Peatlands, which are mainly located in the northern high-latitudes, are globally important storages of freshwater and carbon. Will these sensitive ecosystems maintain their important functions as carbon sinks and water regulators under the on-going climate and land use change? To evaluate this question, we want to start an interdisciplinary cooperation project on the coupled water and carbon dynamics of boreal peatlands. We want to (1.) analyse the spatial and temporal dynamics of all water balance components of a typical boreal mire of Northwest-Russia, (2.) quantify the input, throughput and output of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the mire, (3.) characterise the biogeochemical composition of DOC and DIC in inflow, peat pore and outflow waters and thus gain new insights into the processes that control the generation, transport and transformation of DOC and DIC in boreal peatlands, (4.) quantify the complete carbon balance of the investigated peatland by combining the results of the lateral carbon fluxes with measurements with the vertical land-atmosphere CO2 and CH4 fluxes determined by the eddy covariance approach, and (5.) compare the hydrological and biogeochemical measurement data with output from several regional hydrological models of different resolution and a wetland module of a dynamical earth system model, taking into account their different spatial scales.

Responsibilities:

The PhD candidate will focus his/her work on the quantification of the input, throughput and output of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the mire, and the characterisation of the biogeochemical composition of DOC and DIC in inflow, peat pore and outflow waters (Topics 2 and 3 of the project described above). He/She will participate in the planning of extensive field campaigns to a remote area in the Komi Republic in Russia. Field work at the investigated peatland site in Russia of about 2-3 months per year will be expected. The PhD candidate will help to establish and maintain hydrological and micrometeorological field instrumentation at the investigation site, including automatic discharge and water level recorders, standard-meteorological sensors and an eddy covariance flux measurement system. The PhD candidate will be responsible for appropriate sampling of inflow, peat pore and outflow waters as well as for in-depth biogeochemical analyses of DOC and DIC in the laboratories of the Institute of Soil Science and the Institute of Biogeochemistry and Marine Chemistry. He/She will conduct the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data and is expected to publish the results in international peer-reviewed journals.

The work of the PhD candidate will be closely integrated in the research activities of the junior research groups "Regional Hydrology of Terrestrial Systems" led by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lars Kutzbach and "Chemistry of Natural Aqueous Solutions" led by Prof. Dr. Jens Hartmann. Specifically, his/her work will be complemented by the research of a postdoctoral scientist who will be responsible for the hydrological measurements and modelling at the investigated peatland site in the Komi Republik and shall be hired soon, too.

Requirements:

The PhD candidate should have an academic degree in an academic subject area qualifying the holder to carry out the above-mentioned responsibilities, e.g. Geosciences, Chemistry, Biology. He/She should have experience with laboratory and field work as well as with statistical data analysis The candidate should be an excellent team-player and should be highly motivated for interdisciplinary work in an international environment including extensive field work in a remote area of Russia. He/She should have very good English skills; language skills in Russian would be a plus.

For additional information please contact Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lars Kutzbach (lars.kutzbach@zmaw.de).

Reference: 08/2-034

General information:

A research associate's duties include academic service in one of the projects mentioned above. Within this framework associates have the opportunity to further their academic education, in particular through the completion of a doctoral dissertation. The data obtained in the project may be used for the dissertation. The PhD students will participate in CliSAP's "School of Integrated Climate System Science (SICSS)".

Payment is according to salary group E 13 TV-L. The position calls for 25 hours per week. Preferred starting date is as soon as possible. The short-term contract will last 3 years from start, in accordance with §§ 27, 28 Hamburg Higher Education Law (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz); see also § 2 of the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Law (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz).

The university intends to increase the number of women amongst its academic personnel and expressly encourages qualified women to apply. In compliance with the Hamburg Equal Opportunity Law, preference will be given to qualified female applicants.

Application dossiers (application letter, cv, certificate(s), etc.) incl. reference number are to be submitted to:

Universität Hamburg
KlimaCampus
CliSAP Office
Reference number see above
Grindelberg 5
20144 Hamburg
or to
office.clisap@zmaw.de

The deadline for receipt of applications is 15 June 2009. For additional information please see the website www.klimacampus.de.

Preference will be given to disabled applicants with equal qualifications.