Fjord meltwater and sediment delivery in a fast changing high Arctic environment

Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014)

In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Graduate School, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career.

Find out more: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/supporting-you/research/

Project Detail
The Arctic is experiencing rapid warming, changes in the balance of snowfall and rainfall and a loss of snow- and glacier cover. Consequently, shifts in the amount and timing of freshwater runoff to fjords and their surrounding oceans are taking place. But because the Arctic is still so sparsely-measured, documenting such changes and their impact on the water cycle and supply of sediment to the glacier-fed fjords remains challenging, reducing confidence in the prediction of their effects. Nevertheless, this little-measured freshwater runoff is a critical input to the marine environment, and changes in it are likely to drive changes in sediment transfer, glacimarine sedimentation and coastal circulation. There is a pressing need to determine the patterns and changes of freshwater runoff and sediment input to fjords and is an important priority for understanding and forecasting environmental change in the wider Arctic, particularly considering the prospect of continued and accelerating future change.

This project focuses on the contribution of freshwater and suspended sediment transfer from onshore sources to Arctic fjords in Svalbard, their subsequent behaviour as they mix with fjord waters, and the tools that are best able to measure and monitor variability in them. In-situ oceanographic, geophysical and sedimentological and remote (Unmanned Aircraft System and satellite data and imagery) approaches combined with modelling will be used to quantify the changing freshwater and sediment supply to high Arctic fjords.

Find out more:

For further information on this project, please see the main CENTA website (http://www.centa.org.uk/), or contact Dr Jeffrey Evans ([Email Address Removed]; http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/geography/staff/jeff-evans/) or Dr Richard Hodgkins ([Email Address Removed]).

Entry requirements
Applicants will normally need to hold, or expect to gain, at least a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in Geography, Earth Science, Oceanography or Environmental Science. A Master’s degree and/or experience in a related area associated with the research will be an advantage. The successful candidate will undertake multi-disciplinary research and fieldwork in Svalbard.

Supervisors
Primary supervisor: Dr Jeff Evans
Secondary supervisor: Dr Richard Hodgkins

Contact details
Name: Dr Jeff Evans
Email address: [Email Address Removed]
Telephone number: +44 1509 223038

Application details
Reference number: CENTA17-LU7
Start date: October 1st 2018
Closing date: January 22nd 2018
Interview date: Week beginning February 12th 2018

How to apply
1. Complete a CENTA studentship application form in Word format (available from http://www.centa.org.uk/apply/).
2. All applications should be made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select “Geography”. During the online application process, upload the CENTA studentship application form as a supporting document.
Please quote CENTA17-LU7 when completing your online application.