Modelling safe and just spaces of the Anthropocene

We have entered the new geological epoch of the Anthropocene. Human impacts on the Earth system are now so significant and wide ranging that they are being captured in the geological record. Of wider societal concern is that these impacts are at risk of changing the functioning of the Earth in ways that will endanger current and future generations. In order to manage these impacts we must first understand them. Facing the challenges of unabated climate change and large-scale ecosystem transformation requires a deep understanding of the physical and biological Earth system – and equally of the economic, social and cultural forces that are now an intrinsic part of it. If successful, we will be in a stronger position to shape a safe and just space for humanity (Dearing et al 2014).

This PhD project will bring human actions explicitly into the theory, analysis and models that will allow us to study the whole Earth system. Central to this will be methods to represent the actions and behaviour of human populations. It is not clear how sophisticated such representations need to be at a global scale (Verburg et al 2016). Can the actions of seven billion people be usefully captured with a few equations within a dynamical system, or do we need to incorporate more agency via agent based models? Are human interactions best represented using network theory?

These and other related questions will form the core objectives of the project which will formulate conceptual models that will enable analysis and deeper insights into Anthropocene dynamics. One potential starting point for such modelling is an ecological model that features diverse populations of organisms which interact directly and via impacts on environmental conditions (Dyke & Weaver 2013). It has been shown that this model can be analysed via efficient methods and so could be extended to consider the sort of social-ecological dynamics that whole Earth system analysis would require.

The PhD will benefit from interactions with researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, in particular the flagship project Coevolutionary Pathways within the Transdisciplinary Concepts and Methods, and Earth System Analysis domains which has been progressed within the LOOPS research network of which the University of Southampton is a member.

Supervisor(s): Dr James Dyke (Geography & Environment), Prof John Dearing (Geography & Environment), Prof Wolfgang Lucht (external Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)

Candidates must have or expect to gain a first or strong upper second class degree, in an appropriate discipline, not necessarily Geography. Details on how to apply are available from Julie Drewitt, email [Email Address Removed]. Informal enquiries may be made to the project supervisors. For the latest information on postgraduate opportunities within Geography and Environment, please visit our website at http://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography/postgraduate/research_degrees/studentships.page?

The Research Group details can be found at: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/geography/research/groups.page