Sediment transport in aquatic canopies

PhD scholarships are available in the UWA Oceans Institute (http://www.oceans.uwa.edu.au/) and School of Earth Sciences at the University of Western Australia.

A common feature of many coastal systems is the presence of large and complex bottom roughness (or canopies) on the seafloor formed by a wide range of different marine communities, including seagrasses, corals and mangroves.

Sediment transport is critically-important to the health of these ecosystems, as it can control the stability of the seabed, light availability, the efficiency of suspension feeding and the deleterious effects of turbidity plumes. However, the mechanics of sediment transport in canopies remains poorly understood.

We are seeking a PhD student to work on this new project supported by the Australian Research Council. One student will employ innovative experimental techniques to develop an understanding of the near-bed flow and sediment transport in these systems. The other student will design and execute field studies of this process in real canopies in the coastal waters of Western Australia.

Applications are invited from both Australian and international students. Applicants should possess an Honours or Masters degree (or equivalent) in environmental or coastal engineering or related fields (including environmental science, civil/mechanical/chemical/ocean engineering and physics).

Please send a cover letter describing your research interests and experience, a CV and the names of two referees to both:

Professor Ryan Lowe, email: [Email Address Removed], and
Dr. Marco Ghisalberti, email: [Email Address Removed]

The closing date for applications is Friday, April 21.