Primary production and carbon export across the Flamborough frontal system: interaction with offshore wind energy at University of Hull on FindAPhD.com

This project is no longer listed on FindAPhD.com and may not be available.

Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunities

Dr R Forster No more applications being accepted Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

Hull United Kingdom Ecology Environmental Physics Geographical Information Systems Gis Hydrology Marine Biology Marine Geography Remote Sensing

Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull

About the Project

This PhD scholarship is offered by the Aura Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Wind Energy and the Environment; a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Newcastle and Sheffield. The successful applicant will undertake a PG-Dip training year and will continue their PhD research at University of Hull.

For more information visit www.auracdt.hull.ac.uk. If you have a direct question about the project, you may email [Email Address Removed] or the project supervisor.

In this proposal, the PhD student will use existing North Sea wind farms as examples of how modification in vertical stratification in the near and far-field may manifest in altered phytoplankton exposure to sunlight and nutrients, and hence change growth rates and productivity.

Along with the rapidly growing offshore renewable energy industry, the fisheries and tourism sectors are an important part of the UK coastal economy, and are underpinned by a healthy and productive marine ecosystem. However, concerns have been raised by regulators in relation to the impact of large offshore windfarms on productivity of coastal features.

Primary production at the base of the food web (e.g. formation of organic carbon via photosynthesis of phytoplankton, seaweeds, seagrasses and microphytobenthos) is critical in supporting marine biodiversity and fishery catches. Phytoplankton are of major importance in North Sea primary production as most of the seabed lies below the photic zone, hence limiting growth of attached benthic algae.

Initial work to model phytoplankton primary productivity has shown importance differences in phytoplankton bloom magnitude and timing for different regions of the north-east coast of England. The amount of phytoplankton productivity within a given season is known to be dependent on ocean mixing processes, and the stability of the water column. An early onset of surface water warming (stratification) is likely to produce higher productivity and a greater drawdown of carbon dioxide. Marked differences in the sea surface temperature with gradients of 5°C or more can be found along a north-south transect off the coast of NE England. This indicates the presence of discrete water masses with different levels of turbulent mixing in accordance with tidal flow, depth and wind speed. Understanding the location of transitional zones between well-mixed and stratified zones (e.g. frontal regions, such as the Flamborough Front) is needed to predict current and future levels of phytoplankton production, and possible changes in mixing due to interaction of tidal flows with artificial objects such as offshore wind farms must be taken into consideration.

Training and skills

The successful applicant will receive training in oceanographic techniques at sea, underwater optics, measurements of phytoplankton physiology using active fluorescence, and processing and analysing satellite remote sensing images. The PhD and its training will provide an excellent background for a career in applied marine science in the offshore renewable sector or governmental agencies.

Entry requirements

This PhD research project is suitable for applicants with a background in Biosciences, Earth Science, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Physics, or a closely related discipline. If you have received a First-class Honours degree OR a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters OR a Distinction in a Masters Degree, with any Undergraduate Degree, in one of the above subjects, (or the international equivalents,) we would like to hear from you.

If your first language is not English, or you require Tier 4 student visa to study, you will be required to provide evidence of your English language proficiency level that meets the requirements of the Aura CDT’s academic partners. This course requires academic IELTS 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each skill.

Eligibility

Research Council funding for postgraduate research has residence requirements. Our Aura CDT scholarships are available to Home (UK) Students. To be considered a Home student, and therefore eligible for a full award, a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship (with some further constraint regarding residence for education). For full eligibility information, please refer to the EPSRC website. Please note, we have already allocated all our places for International Students to this cohort, so please do not apply unless you are a Home student.

How to apply

Applications are via the University of Hull online portal; you must download a supplementary application from the Aura CDT website, complete and submit.

For more information about the Aura CDT including links and detailed instructions on how to apply, please visit the website: https://auracdt.hull.ac.uk/how-to-apply/

Funding Notes

The Aura CDT is funded by the EPSRC and NERC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates, circa £17,668 per annum at 2022/23 rates (subject to progress).

References

Capuzzo, E., Lynam, C. P., Barry, J., Stephens, D., Forster, R. M., Greenwood, N., Mcquatters-Gollop, A., et al. (2018). A decline in primary production in the North Sea over 25 years, associated with reductions in zooplankton abundance and fish stock recruitment. Global Change Biology, 24, 352364.
Daewel, Ute, et al. “Offshore Wind Wakes-the underrated impact on the marine ecosystem.” (2022).
Floeter, J., van Beusekom, J. E. E., Auch, D., Callies, U., Carpenter, J., Dudeck, T., Eberle, S., et al. (2017). Pelagic effects of offshore wind farm foundations in the stratified North Sea. Progress in Oceanography, 156, 154173. Pergamon.
Lawrenz, E., Silsbe, G., Capuzzo, E., Yl?stalo, P., Forster, R. M., Simis, S. G. H., Pr??il, O., et al. (2013). Predicting the Electron Requirement for Carbon Fixation in Seas and Oceans. PLoS ONE, 8(3).
Moore, C. M., Suggett, D. J., Hickman, A. E., Kim, Y. N., Tweddle, J. F., Sharples, J., Geider, R. J., et al. (2006). Phytoplankton photoacclimation and photoadaptation in response to environmental gradients in a shelf sea. Limnology and Oceanography, 51, 936949.
Scott, B. E., Sharples, J., Ross, O. N., Wang, J., Pierce, G. J., & Camphuysen, C. J. (2010). Sub-surface hotspots in shallow seas: fine-scale limited locations of top predator foraging habitat indicated by tidal mixing and sub-surface chlorophyll. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 408, 207226.
Wihsgott, J. U., Sharples, J., Hopkins, J. E., Woodward, E. M. S., Hull, T., Greenwood, N., & Sivyer, D. B. (2019). Observations of vertical mixing in autumn and its effect on the autumn phytoplankton bloom. Progress in Oceanography.