PhD Project: Antarctic sea ice evolution and ecosystem responses in a changing climate
We seek applicants for an ERC-funded PhD project which aims to reconstruct Antarctic sea-ice histories and ecosystems responses from the Last Glacial Maximum to present. The projects will focus on the eastern Weddell Sea, working on novel regurgitated stomach oil deposits generated by snow petrels where they nest above the Antarctic ice sheet. These stomach oil deposits can be tens of thousands of years old, and preserve evidence of changing snow petrel diet and sea-ice conditions (e.g. Ainley et al., 2006; Berg et al., 2019). The PhD candidate will learn and apply a range of geochemical techniques (trace metals, stable isotope and biomarker analysis) to explore changing snow petrel diet and links to the sea ice environment. They will join a wider project team at Durham University and British Antarctic Survey investigating modern snow petrel ecology, sea ice and ecological modelling, evolutionary history of the snow petrels and their prey.
The studentships are tenable from October 2021, and cover UK/EU fees, a tax-free maintenance grant (set at the UK Research Council’s national rate: currently £15,609), conference attendance and training, and all analytical costs.
For full details of the application process and the project, please see http://pastglobalchanges.org/my-pages/paleo-jobs/student/2759 and/or contact Professor Erin McClymont (erin.mcclymont@durham.ac.uk).
The deadline for applications is Friday 28th May 2021.
Best wishes,
Erin
Professor Erin McClymont (she/hers)
Department of Geography, Durham University
Lower Mountjoy, South Road
Durham DH1 3LE
erin.mcclymont@durham.ac.uk
