Deadline: 6th January 2014.

Supervisor: Dr Philip Nightingale pdn@pml.ac.uk

The Project:

There are a range of short lived halocarbons (SLH) that are produced in seawater via a combination of biological and photochemical mechanisms. SLH are believed to be important in the oxidation chemistry of the atmosphere, particularly above the remote oceans away from the continents. Brominated compounds have been identified as a major source of reactive bromine to the stratosphere whereas iodinated compounds are generally much shorter lived and play a significant role in tropospheric oxidation chemistry. There have been rather few studies on the distributions of these gases in air and in seawater in the remote oceans or on the role that these regions might play in the oxidation chemistry of the atmosphere.

The aim is to quantify SLH fluxes along latitudinal transects of the Atlantic and the Pacific. Concurrent measurements of oxidants will be made. The transects will cross the northern and southern gyres, the equatorial upwellings and more productive shelf and coastal waters. The student will participate in two cruises, one from the UK to the tip of South America, the other a North to South transect of the Pacific Ocean. The student will then use a state of the art photochemical transport model to determine the role that the SLH play in the chemistry of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere. This is a joint project between PML and UEA and we anticipate that the student will spend about 2/3 of their time at PML and 1/3 at UEA.

We seek an enthusiastic, pro-active team player with strong scientific interests and who is self-motivated. He/she will have good numerical ability and a strong aptitude for practical work. He/she must be physically fit and capable of working at sea for periods of up to 8 weeks. Enjoyment of travel is essential. The student will receive training in the measurements of SLH in the air and seawater and of ozone, and in state of the art atmospheric models. They will work closely with other marine and atmospheric scientists at PML and UEA and those scientists involved in the two field programmes. He/she will be joining two active and dynamic research groups. The student be part of the newly created EnvEast Doctoral Training Partnership and will benefit from a wide range of training in research and professional skills. 

For scientific enquiries please contact Dr Phil Nightingale (pdn@pml.ac.uk) or Prof Bill Sturges (W.Sturges@uea.ac.uk).

This project has been shortlisted for funding by the newly-created ENV East Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) – a collaboration led by UEA, with the Universities of Essex and Kent, and twenty other partners. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed as part of the Studentship Competition. The interview dates will be 14 and 15 February 2014

Entry Requirements:

First degree 2.1 in a relevant subject such as chemistry, chemical oceanography, physics or a branch of environmental sciences.

Funding:

Due to funding restrictions funding for PhD studentships from NERC is available to successful candidates who meet the UK Research Council eligibility criteria: www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/application/studentships.

The current stipend for 2013/14 is £13,726 per annum.

To discuss the application process or particular projects, please contact the: Admissions Office, email: pgr.enquiries.admiss@uea.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1603 591709.