Two PhD student in Meteorology focusing on air-sea-ice interactions

Two PhD student in Meteorology focusing on air-sea-ice interactions

Are you interested in working with air-sea-ice interactions, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD student position at Uppsala University. 

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind. We are approximately 280 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science; geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; petrology, mineralogy and tectonics; paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. The successful candidate will join the research program Air, Water and Landscape Sciences (LUVAL) and the research group in Meteorology (Link to LUVAL).

The turbulent fluxes across the air-sea-ice interface in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), i.e., the transitional area between open water and pack ice, are crucial for polar weather, ecosystem, and climate on both local and global scales. The presence of sea ice floes, varying from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers in size, creates an exceptionally heterogeneous surface characterized by varying roughness and temperature profiles. These characteristics significantly affect the momentum and heat fluxes across the air-sea-ice interface, and other processes. Despite this significance, our understanding of the turbulent fluxes across the interface in the MIZ remains fragmented and poorly represented in prevailing weather and climate models.

The primary objective of the two projects is to explore the turbulent fluxes across the air-sea-ice interface in the MIZ and to elucidate its implications for polar extreme cyclones on both short and long-term scales.

Duties

The 1st PhD project focus on 1) enhance the understanding of the mechanisms governing turbulent fluxes influenced by sea ice floes in the MIZ, and 2) Assess the impact of sea ice floes on turbulent fluxes in the formation of polar extreme cyclones and their broader implications for polar climate.  

The 2nd PhD project will 1) Develop a DL model for extracting sea ice floe information from satellite images, facilitating advancements in the comprehension of ice dynamics within the MIZ, 2) attainment of a detailed mechanism understanding of wave attenuation by ice, elucidating its implications on wave radiation stress on ice, and 3) Enhancement and updating of an atmosphere-wave-ice-ocean coupled system, ensuring conservation of momentum flux across the air-sea-ice interface in the MIZ.

To achieve the overarching goals, we will employ a comprehensive approach integrating a dedicated observational campaign, data mining, Earth Observation studies, and innovative modeling methodologies.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in meteorology or similar, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate both strong independent work capabilities and excellent teamwork skills. Proficiency in written and oral English is a prerequisite, as the position involves working in an international setting. Being goal-oriented and well-organized are vital attributes for success in a doctoral program and will therefore be given significant emphasis.

Additional qualifications
Strong familiarity with polar climate and satellite image processing is advantageous. Proficiency in a Linux/Unix environment, as well as expertise in Python and Bash scripting, is highly sought after.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 2025-05-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Lichuan Wu, lichuan.wu@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by 10 of January 2025, UFV-PA 2024/4192.

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