Fully funded PhD studentship: Closing the global budget of one of the atmosphere’s most potent greenhouse gases

Matt Rigby, Simon O’Doherty (University of Bristol), Mike Czerniack (Edwards Ltd.), Alistair Manning and Tim Arnold (UK Met Office)

We are seeking applicants for a fully funded PhD studentship on climate, Bayesian methods and greenhouse gas emissions estimation.

Measurements from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE, agage.mit.edu) show that only around 50% of global tetrafluoromethane (CF4) emissions can be explained by current emissions inventories. This “missing source” is of concern because CF4 is a particularly strong infrared absorber (i.e. greenhouse gas) with a very long lifetime (around 50,000 years). Despite efforts by the semiconductor and aluminium industry to reduce emissions of this gas, AGAGE observations show that it continues to grow rapidly in the atmosphere. We propose to examine the global atmospheric CF4 budget using a new approach involving updated estimates of potential sources, global and regional atmospheric chemical transport models and AGAGE observations. Using this method, we will derive a comprehensive estimate of global CF4 emissions. It is hoped that this work, which brings together academia, industry and regulators, will contribute significantly to future efforts to reduce CF4 emissions. The successful applicant will work particularly closely with Edwards Ltd, a leading manufacturer of gas abatement systems. This work will feed into wider efforts to understand and verify the emissions of a wide range of greenhouse gases.

No prior knowledge of atmospheric chemistry is required. A strong background in physical sciences, mathematics, statistics or computing is desirable and the ability to work well in a team is essential. At present, funding for this post is limited to UK and EU students, although strong international students are encouraged to get in touch. The funding includes tuition fees, stipend, travel and consumables. Further details can be found here: http://mattrigby.blogs.bris.ac.uk/vacancies/. Applications must be made via the University of Bristol postgraduate application system: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/, although candidates should also contact Dr Matt Rigby ([Email Address Removed]) to discuss the application process.