PhD position on "Antarctic sea ice mass budget“ (m/f/d)

22 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Research Field

Environmental science

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Germany

Application Deadline

20 Mar 2024 - 10:16 (UTC)

Type of Contract

To be defined

Job Status

Other

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Area of research:

Promotion

Part-Time Suitability:

The position is suitable for part-time employment.

Job description:PhD position on "Antarctic sea ice mass budget“ (m/f/d)

Background
The Southern Ocean exhibits a highly variable sea ice cover, both in time and space. For a comprehensive understanding and interpretation of Antarctic sea ice variability, it is essential to quantitatively distinguish the contributions of thermodynamic and dynamical processes. While observational data enables such quantification on the floe scale, the metamorphic snowpack on Antarctic sea ice poses challenges for large-scale assessment, impacting the accuracy of sea ice mass balance derived from satellite remote sensing.
The PhD project, therefore, aims to enhance our understanding of the influence of the snowpack and its internal properties on the Antarctic sea ice mass budget, utilizing existing in-situ data and vertical snow structures from snow models. The successful candidate will integrate these datasets with a snow microwave radiative transfer model, in order to gain new insights into the role of snow from the combination of remote sensing and in-situ measurements.
The PhD project is part of the Young Investigator and Bridge Group SNOWflAke ("Learning from local snow properties for large-scale Antarctic ice pack volume") in a collaboration between the Alfred Wegener Institute and the University of Hamburg. The position is based in Bremerhaven, with anticipated regular exchanges and stays at the University of Hamburg.

Tasks

• Analysis of observational data to quantify the impact of snow accumulation on sea ice thickness
• Evaluation and optimization of parametrizations and surface roughness to improve the performance of the snow microwave radiative transfer model (SMRT) specific to Antarctic sea ice
• Integration of a snow model with the SMRT for Antarctic sea ice
• Investigation of the influence of snow on estimates of sea ice mass balance from satellite data
• Publication of results in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at scientific conferences.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or equivalent in physics, geophysics, meteorology, or a related field
• Strong experience in programming, statistics, and data analysis
• Good oral and written communication skills in English
• Willingness to participate in several week-long expeditions to the polar regions
• Good teamwork abilities.

Additional skills and knowledge

• Experience in polar and/or sea ice processes
• Experience in working with satellite remote sensing data and sea ice models.

Further Information
The AWI is characterized by

The AWI is characterized by

• our scientific success - excellent research
• collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary
• opportunities to develop – on the job and towards other positions
• an international environment – everyday contact with people from all over the world
• flexible working hours and the possibility of mobile working up to 50% of regular working hours
• health promotion and company fitness with EGYM Wellpass
• support services and a culture of reconciling work and family
• occupational pension provision (VBL)

Equal opportunities are an integral part of our personnel policy. The AWI aims to increase the number of employees who are women, and therefore, strongly encourages qualified women to apply.

Applicants with disabilities will be given preference when equal qualifications are present.

The AWI fosters the compatibility of work and family in various ways and has received a number of awards as a result of this engagement.

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.

Requirements
Additional Information

Website for additional job details

https://recruitingapp-5442.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/1613/Description/2?lang=eng

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Country

Germany

City

Bremerhaven

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Website

https://recruitingapp-5442.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/1613/Description/2?lang=eng

Contact

City

Bremerhaven

Website

http://www.awi.de/en

Street

Am Handelshafen 12

Postal Code

27570

E-Mail

[email protected]

Phone

+49 471 4831-0

Fax

+49 471 4831-1149

STATUS: EXPIRED