Dr A Dale, Dr L Kregting
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
The drift of floating objects is a complex response to wind drag, near-surface currents and waves. Existing models of drift have tended to use relatively crude representations of these processes, despite the fact that observations at sea have shown great sensitivity to the shape and size of an object, to its extent in the water column, and to its degree of surface exposure. Understanding oceanic drift is important in many spheres, including search and rescue, the transport of plastics, and the fate of aircraft or other debris.
This project is motivated by the desire to use the stranding patterns of beach-cast marine mammals to identify localised sources of mortality. The need to quantify anthropogenic impacts on marine mammal populations is becoming ever more pressing as the next decade will see significant changes to the marine environment. One source of change is the renewable energy industry. Monitoring the interaction between live animals and renewable energy devices is logistically challenging and expensive. Conversely, monitoring for dead, beach-cast individuals offers a relatively low-cost method of surveillance. On land, mortalities of birds or bats at wind turbines can readily be quantified because carcases fall close to the site of mortality. In the marine environment this is not the case, meaning that a key challenge is to understand the subsequent drift and stranding of carcases. This project will therefore focus on clarifying the drift and stranding dynamics of marine mammal carcases in coastal waters. This will involve an experimental component, using marine facilities at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (University of the Highlands and Islands) and a wave tank (Queens University Belfast), backed up by theoretical and modelling studies.
The project will be in collaboration with the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) which collates, analyses and reports data on strandings around the Scottish coastline.
Funding Notes
This project is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The studentship covers fees, plus a stipend at the RCUK level, for a total of 39 months (including writing-up).
Funding is available for students worldwide, however non UK/EU students will be liable for the difference between home/EU and international fees. Our current fees can be found here: www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/first-steps/how-much-will-it-cost/tuition-fees-research-postgraduate-students
Students must be domiciled in the Highlands and Islands region during the course of their study to be eligible for funding. Students are expected to be based full-time at The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) UHI.
The project is expected to start by 1st Oct 2018.
Applicants must possess a minimum of an Honours degree at 2:1 and/or a Master’s Degree (or International equivalent) in a relevant subject.
To apply please complete the standard application form, attaching supporting documentation and send to: [Email Address Removed]
Informal project specific enquiries can be made to: [Email Address Removed]
References
Hackett, Bruce, Øyvind Breivik, and Cecilie Wettre. "Forecasting the drift of objects and substances in the ocean." Ocean weather forecasting (2006): 507-523.
Peltier, H., et al. "The significance of stranding data as indicators of cetacean populations at sea: modelling the drift of cetacean carcasses." Ecological Indicators 18 (2012): 278-290.
Continue with Facebook
