About the Project
Main Information
This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP). The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/
Project details
Despite being thousands of kilometres apart, climatic changes in the tropical and polar regions of the planet are highly interconnected. In recent decades, the Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average – a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Emerging evidence suggests that a substantial portion of Arctic warming may be driven remotely from the tropics. Yet, the atmospheric and oceanic processes through which the tropics influence the Arctic are not fully understood. There is also increasing recognition that the effects of Arctic warming are not limited to the Arctic: what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic (see this explainer video: https://bit.ly/2Csj1Yg). State-of-the-art climate model experiments suggest that Arctic sea-ice loss can trigger climate changes as far away as the tropics. But again, a detailed understanding of such connections is lacking. Lying in between the tropics and the poles are the mid-latitudes, where a vast number of people live. Weather patterns in mid-latitudes are affected by both tropical and polar influences, but separating out one regions’ influence on another is not an easy task. Recently there has been much speculation about a possible link between Arctic warming and increased extreme weather in mid-latitudes. This exciting and cutting-edge project will explore these connections between climate changes in the tropics, mid-latitudes and polar regions.
Project Aims and Methods
To make progress in these important research areas, the student will make heavy use of output from a new international climate modelling activity: the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project (PAMIP). PAMIP includes novel model experiments to help elucidate both the causes and consequences of Arctic amplification. With support from the supervisors, the candidate will have the opportunity to shape the project design to focus on aspects of the problem of most interest to them. For example, there is scope to focus on connections to/from the Arctic, or Antarctic, or both. It is anticipated that the project will involve a mix of analysis of observed climate records and climate model output, and potentially, opportunities for the candidate to learn how to conduct their own climate model simulations as part of the PAMIP. The candidate will be primarily based at the University of Exeter, a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a centre for world-leading climate science. They will work closely with other students and postdoctoral researchers in the polar climate group (http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/js546/group), lead by Prof Screen. This studentship comes with a generous budget for travel and training (£15k), with additional CASE support (£1k per year) from the UK Met Office.
CASE or Collaborative Partner
This project is in collaboration with the Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) and the British Antarctic Survey. The MOHC is a globally recognised centre for climate modelling and is a leading partner in the PAMIP. The candidate will benefit from regular visits to the MOHC, located nearby in Exeter, and to the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, gaining exposure to a non-University research environment. The candidate will be able to participate in student training courses and networking/social events held by the Met Office and British Antarctic Survey, in addition to those provided at the University of Exeter.
Training
The candidate will gain experience of cutting-edge climate science, learning skills in data analysis, scientific figure and paper preparation, and climate modelling. They will benefit from working alongside internationally recognised climate scientists at the University of Exeter, Met Office and British Antarctic Survey. As part of international project, the PhD candidate will have the opportunity to travel to overseas partners for collaboration, and to contribute to the wider scientific goals of the PAMIP.
Funding Notes
The studentship will provide funding for a stipend which is currently £14,777 per annum for 2018-2019, research costs and UK/EU tuition fees at Research Council UK rates for 48 months (4 years) for full-time students, pro rata for part-time students.